Cielo
by Uni Giglio Nero
Summary: Tsuna finds himself with a mysterious illness that puts his life at risk. While struggling to keep this a secret from his family, an ancient threat combated by the Primo family, slowly returns to haunt the tenth generation. TYL - Beta Reader obtained! The chapters added are corrected!
1. Prologue

Minna-san, great news for you: Cielo is back! Thanks to my Beta Reader tora-chan83, who agreed to help me in this task almost impossible u.u  
So a big thank you to tora-chan83 for all your help!  
About the other chapters, I'll warn in the synopsis of the story whenever a chapter has passed through the sharp eyes of my amazing Beta!  
Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** KHR belongs to Akira Amano-sensei, only the plot is mine!

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**Prologue**

A loud explosion followed by gunfire and screams tore through the silent night. Not a moment later smoke rose from a luxurious Victorian style house. It's beautiful property, surrounded by high walls, was slowly being engulfed by fire. Inside, the continuous sound of breaking glass, pressured from the heat, filled the dark corridors. Surrounding the building, although unseen, were gunmen clashing violently.

At the main entrance of the mansion, the large wooden doors almost go flying off its hinges as a man forces his way in. About a dozen men armed with guns, knives, and fencing swords react to the sound. Rushing to the lobby, a large living room with a grand staircase at the bottom, they encounter the ruined door and the intruder.

As another explosion goes off, the crowd of men spring into action. But the imposing figure was already gone, his black robe camouflaging his figure until he begins, and then all that is seen are flashes of bright orange flames. The unfortunate men who try to attack him at close range quickly get taken down. The rest try to desperately aim for the intruder, but the person nimbly evades the hail of bullets.

The sky flame which is lit on his forehead, continues to glow strongly as he crashes into the opponents. One by one they go down, the men, although burly and seemingly tough were mostly clumsy and poorly skilled.

Engaged in the bloody battle, the 'visitor' quickly shifted to the left, barely saving his head from being crushed violently by an cudgel,¹ which was pulled hastily from an armature in a corner of the room. The unknown figure then grabs the opponent's wrist with one hand and with the another takes the handle of the cudgel. His gloves begin to glow intensely, as they heat up the metal to the point where it makes it impossible to be held without serious burns.

The medieval weapon of war falls out of the person's grasp with a bang, creating cracks on the tiled floor. A moment later, a second thump is heard, indicating the body of the person who wielded it falling as well. The sounds of bodies and weapons dropping echo as the man continue to go through the crowd.

When the last of the opponents is lying on the ground at his feet, he runs into the next room, only to find it blocked by a handful of armed men. However, even before he reaches the first enemy, pillars of fire sprout from the floor hitting the opponents who were more up front. At the same time, a shooting Shinu Ki no Honoo² of the Storm crosses the room injuring several enemies along the way, following it, is the familiar sound of handcuffs clicking, and bones being broken. The newcomers beckon him to continue as they take care of clearing the way.

Outside, the unmistakable glow of Shinu Ki no Honoo Thunder could be seen lighting up the old garden, which was completely transformed into a battlefield. A particularly large ring of knocked out, or killed men surround a lone figure wielding a long katana covered with the soothing flames of the rain.

Wasting no time the first intruder resumes his rush toward through the interior of the building, advancing through the halls at an astounding rate. He ignores the thick smoke that reduces his visibility and makes it difficult to breathe.

The man soon stops before a large door, which, once opened, led to a staircase made of stone going downwards. Using his flame to illuminate the path, he continues until he reaches a maze of galleries. With his orange eyes closed, the man stilled as if trying to sense something. Seconds later a faint rustle is heard, indicating a breeze coming from somewhere. As the man steps forward, the change in atmosphere and the almost imperceptible sound of explosions tell him that he is under the mansion.

After walking a little bit further he spots a metal door - his goal. One punch was all it took to completely destroy it. As the dust cleared away, a strange mixture of smells hung in the air.

The man realized too late that it was affecting his breathing and beginning to blur his eyes. Choosing to ignore the growing wave of dizziness that suddenly hit him, he scanned the large laboratory. Vials containing substances of different colors were spread over two large tables. While on the shelves there were countless of contained organs ranging from humans to animals. All over the place, books and manuscripts were laid out haphazardly. Advancing cautiously, the man stiffened as he smelled one odor that stood out from all the others- the metallic smell of blood. Fresh blood.

Moving his eyes more to the extremity of the laboratory, a conjunct of bars capture his attention. Immediately, he heads to that direction, realizing with horror, at the sight before him. Within a large cage, several people were chained, some whom were only children. A few seemed to be aware of their surroundings, but the others were drugged or already dead.

Clenching his fists, he let out a burst of orange flames, visibly showing his fury. An alarm went off in the back of his mind as he sensed a hostile presence from behind. Quickly spinning around at an inhuman speed, he concentrated on the powerful flame of harmony on his glove. Before the attacker even knew it, a fist was buried into his stomach. The man couldn't feel any pity for the monster that dared to use humans, especially children, as guinea pigs for experimentation, so he let his flames burn.

The tall man gasped for breath as he painfully hits the wall three feet away. Following that, was the infallibly the sound of bones breaking. He figured that the scientist's spine must have surely cracked more than one rib. But not being able to walk or move properly was much more than the monster deserved.

But no matter how angry or how much that sense of justice instigated, his principle of not taking a life prevented the intruder from committing such a sinful act. Taking a deep breath, he watches the now unconscious man on the ground warily. After deciding the scientist was harmless, he takes the blade the taller man had been clutching with the intent to stab him. Throwing it out of the room into the long corridor by which he had come, the man tried to calm his still boiling blood. He tensed as he felt his Hyper Intuition acting up once again.

The sound of a 'click' echoed throughout the room followed by a 'bang' as a bullet hit the wall where milliseconds before, the figure with fists wrapped in flames stood. It was the combination of Hyper Intuition, reflex and speed that allowed him to dodge the lethal shot.

His blinding anger had almost made him commit the biggest mistake of his life - lowerhis guard. Fixing his eyes on the shooter, his anger skyrockets, not able to be suppressed any longer.

Positioned near one of the stands, the attacker, held in one hand a small silver chest and in the other, a raised gun. The intruder instantly knew who he was, the head of putrid Famiglia who was responsible for the inhumane scene before him. Lycus Beluzzo.

"Greetings, Primo."

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~І~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

¹A short thick stick used as a weapon

² Dying Will Flames

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Minna-san, I'm sorry for taking so long to take the initiative and seek someone with more knowledge in English to correct my faults in translation!  
And tora-chan83, you will still see me thank very much! Thanks for your great help!  
So minna-san, Cielo deserves review?  
Ciao, ciao!


	2. Apprehension Part 1

Hello Minna! I'm back!  
I want to thanks to my Beta Reader tora-chan83 for all your help!  
Enjoy!

**Katekyo Hitman Reborn belongs to Amano-sensei.** Only the plot is mine!

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**Apprehension - Part 1**

Three weeks before...

Frosty gray orbs tinted with blue watched the scene with slight irritation. The walls of the large room which were formerly soft pastel colors, was now stained bright red. On the Persian rug the bodies of fifteen bodyguards, all wearing black suits, littered the floor. Each had blank expressions and deep wounds made by some kind of weapon - like a saw or maybe a type of knife like the found in the kitchen. Obviously they had failed to do their job. They were dead and person who they should have been guarding was missing. Without a second look at the bloody room, the man slowly walked toward the exit.

_Someone will be bitten to death_

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

_"Primo here are the documents that you gave me..."_

"...Requested. Jyuudaime...?"

"Oh, sorry Gokudera. I didn't see you enter."

"It's alright. Jyuudaime is there something that's worrying you?" - asks the silver haired man, putting down the folder on the table.

Gokudera Hayato looked at the figure in a suit standing before a large glass window. The man whom Gokudera owes his life to, was watching the garden below, his chocolate-brown eyes partially covered by messy bangs, which glided over his beautiful pale face. His boss, now 24 years.

Yes, it was impossible for anyone to deny that Sawada Tsunayoshi had become a man of appearance, to say the least, gorgeous. He was stunning, proven by the sighs and passionate glances that multiple people give him wherever he goes. Tsuna appeared to be unaware of this fact however, or maybe he simply ignored it.

His appearance earned him the title of the most handsome man among the Famiglias. Even among his Guardians no one could compete. The most interesting thing about this gentle beauty was the brutal similarity that he possessed with Primo, the founder of the Vongola. If not for the color of his eyes and hair, Tsuna would be an exact replica of him. This resemblance was so strong, that it was like Primo had actually come back from the dead, or abandoned his portrait in the gallery of bosses. This was where, a full-length portrait of the Tenth was already made and along with his Guardians. Miraculously this includes Hibari and even Mukuro, who had been taken out of Vindice years ago.

While Tsuna was prone to being a coward and shying away from attention in middle and high school, he now had a quiet and mature personality with a powerful presence. His aura practically overflowed from all over his body, demanding respect and inspiring confidence.

With his attention fixed on his friend, Gokudera examined his face. While there was a calm expression on it, there was something else churning underneath. This fact would have easily gone unnoticed by anyone else, but not the formidable right hand. Having spent more than a decade staying at his side, the storm Guardian could spot even the smallest variations on his precious Jyuudaime's face. Even now, while most would see nothing wrong with the young boss, he could tell that something was troubling him.

"I'm fine, Gokudera." - Tsuna said, turning to find Gokudera's green eyes firmly fixed on him with an apprehension expression.

_As usual. -_ Tsuna thought, with a slight smile at the look.

"If Jyuudaime says so..." - Gokudera responds, he already knew that, even if tortured, his boss would not answer if he didn't want to, because when it comes to Tsuna, even Reborn finds it difficult to force him to speak, a personality trait that was acquired over the years.

"More importantly. Any news on Hibari?" - His beautiful features taking on a serious expression.

"No." - Gokudera says, shaking his head, slightly bewildered - "It's almost as if he vanished from the face of the earth. Even his subordinates don't have any information about his whereabouts- either that or they're simply refusing to talk." - mumbling the last part, Gokudera was reminded of some suspicious faces, especially of those who denied him of any information.

Leaving the beautiful view from the window, Tsuna sits in his black leather chair in front of a table filled with piles of papers. Picking up the folder that Gokudera had brought, he looked through it.

"Jyuudaime, I know we're talking about that bastard, Hibari, but... Maybe it's time to think about sending one of the other Guardians to search for him. He hasn't given any news for the past month. Even for an antisocial, Hibari has been gone too long without showing up."

"I didn't know that you were so worried about the safety of Hibari." - teases Tsuna, looking at Gokudera with a mischievous grin.

"I'm not." - the bomber objects - "But he is also a Guardian, and the bastard still has the title of being the strongest among us. What if a rival Famiglia thinks that without Hibari we're helpless and then decide to attack us?"

_Always careful. Sometimes, even of more than his own good. But I cannot him at fault for that. I'm sure he still fears about what had happened to my old self of this epoch, if that repeats..._ - Tsuna tried not to think about the turmoil his friends would go through again. Leaning with his elbows on the table and crossing his fingers, he sighed and closed his eyes.

Opening them once again, he takes a look at his loyal friend standing in front of him. Gokudera was also wearing a black suit and tie, but he had on a the red shirt instead of a white one. Resting innocently on his belt was his Storm Vongola Gear. His silver hair was shorter than in their younger years, and the only outward signs of his passed rebellion, were the three silver earrings distributed along his left ear, the lone one in the right ear, and the skull rings that activate the C.A.I. system on his right hand. It was a taste that Tsuna had never been able to understand, try as he might, and in the end, Gokudera was Gokudera.

Despite that, over time, his faithful right-hand learned to maintain control over much of his temper, becoming more relentless and extremely reliable. Thus, earning the nickname the 'Explosive Storm of the Tenth Vongola' - a much better name than 'Hurricane Bomb Hayato', if you take into consideration Gokudera's own opinion.

"Not yet. I think we should wait a little longer. I'm sure that he won't contact us until he finds it necessary. And, this is Hibari that we're talking about, we all know he prefers act to alone and on his own."

"That bastard making Jyuudaime worry..." - Gokudera muttered shaking his fists. A frown slipped onto his face, drawing another friendly smile from Tsuna.

"What about being attacked. I understand your concern, but remember that we have Yamamoto coming in from Japan this afternoon. In addition, Chrome and Mukuro are currently in town, and we can request Onii-san to stop by from his training with the Varia at any time. This means that _if_ anything happens to the mansion, they can quickly get here, and, ultimately, Lambo is also in the mansion. It's not like we never had one or more Guardians or Reborn out for a long time. In addition, you and _I_ are also here." - Tsuna pointed out, with his usual calm tone and friendly expression.

"Well...When Jyuudaime says it like that..." - He paused releasing a long sigh and visibly relaxing, Tsuna's smile widens a little more - "I guess I'm just being paranoid. After all, we aren't the Tenth Generation of Vongola, without good reason." - Gokudera completed, turning toward the double doors of the big office, but before Gokudera could leave the room, Tsuna started talking again.

"Oh, before I forget. How is Lambo's training progressing? He looked a little pale during breakfast today. In addition, his scores seem to have fallen a bit lately. I hope you're not pressing too much. If it's torture, then I would have allowed Reborn to take charge of the 'intense training for the stupid cow', as he refers." - finishing his last comment, the young boss returned back to examining the newly received documents.

"Ahoushi's grades dropped again? I bet he was chasing a woman's skirt instead of paying attention in class. I'd better take care of it before he becomes perverted like that doctor."

"As Shamal?" - Tsuna asks raising an eyebrow - "Try not to overdo it Gokudera, Lambo is still a 15 year old, after all."

"Do not worry Jyuudaime. I'll be sure to punch all information in that small brain of Ahoushi, he won't cause you more problems!"

_Poor Lambo... Gokudera with his formulas and theories can be just as Spartan as Reborn's 'tutoring'_ - Tsuna thought, watching his ever faithful right-hand man to march out of his office with fire burning in his eyes. - _Well, at least I don't have to worry about Lambo getting bruised and beaten up..._ - A loud bang echoed throughout the halls of the west wing of the mansion. - _Maybe I was a bit hasty in saying that... I wonder how much the damages will cost for Gokudera's extreme lessons... Speaking of 'extreme', it's already been one week since Onii-san went to the Varia's castle, and knowing Xanxus' mood, I bet that he is not happy with another 'noisy trash' under his roof... Ah... Just thinking about it already gives me a headache_... - Tsuna observed, massaging his temples.

Letting his gaze wander back to the wide and sunny window to the right behind his desk. He watched the light illuminate the room, the crammed shelves creating shadows. His office was almost like a smaller version of the great library located in one of the towers of the mansion.

_Even though I told Gokudera not to worry, a whole month without any contact is a long time, even for Hibari. I'll wait until the end of the week, and if the situation stays the same, then I will have to follow Gokudera's advice and send one of the other Guardians to demand it... Perhaps onii-san is a good idea, although, just the simple fact of having someone come after him during a mission will get Hibari furious, no matter who I send. But honestly, I prefer to deal with his anger than not knowing what is happening to a member of my family... Oh, how problematic!_ - Tsuna contemplated, releasing another sigh. Since he properly inherited the Vongola Famiglia six years ago, his sighing had increased.

" Well, time to return to work, otherwise, I'll lose another night's sleep trying to finish the never ending paperwork. That would not be good, since tomorrow I have another meeting with the head of the Galhardoni Famiglia." - Tsuna said to himself as he plunged into the mountain of paperwork once again.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

A few agonizing hours later...

"Now, Ahoushi, rewrite the last exercise you did wrong!"

"Geh?! Gokudera-shi, we've been working since breakfast! My brain aches from thinking too much..." - Lambo whined, his head resting on one of the tables in the library, getting a killer look from his harsh teacher, he sits back up - "Yare, yare... At least can we have until after lunch before continuing? I can't believe that the first day I don't need to go to school I have tutoring..."

"You should of thought of that before relaxing and letting your grades drop! Jyuudaime excused you from going on most missions so that you could have as much of a normal student life as possible, and you rewarded him by doing poorly in school!"

"But it's not my fault that the classes are boring and most of the subjects I've already studied with you..."

"Are you saying that the reason you're doing so poorly in school is because you're already ahead in the subjects? If so, then why aren't you the first in the class!" - Gokudera retorts with an angry growl - "Now stop wasting time and continue the task while I call Jyuudaime for lunch. By the time I get back you better be done, and it should be completed right this time." - Gokudera casted another murderous glance at the boy, who shrinks in his seat, before exiting the library.

"Yare, yare. Why does the awesome Lambo-sama have to go through this..."

"Stop whining and get back to studying!" - Gokudera screamed from the corridor.

"Gupyaaaa!"

Tsuna was immersed in files, checking for possible new Famiglias they could form future alliances with, looking at the repair bills for the mansion AND the Varia's castle, reading the paperwork from the missions his Guardians, or another group of subordinates went on, the list of things to be done was never finished. He was so focused that he didn't realized how many hours had passed.

His day consisted of working off the endless amount of paperwork in his office, followed by a few hours spent in the training room - as if the sadistic Reborn would really let him skip his extra sessions of torture disguised as training - then, meeting with the heads of other Famiglias in the mafia. The rest of the time in between was spent being present at meals with whichever family members present in the mansion, this was something Tsuna made sure not to skip no matter how overworked he was. After everything, his day finally ended with a refreshing, but short-lived sleep.

The silence in his office was suddenly broken by the entry of a certain silver-haired man.

"Jyuudaime, I came to warn you that it's time for lunch."

"Oh?! It's that late?" - Tsuna murmured, raising his head and finding the green eyes of Gokudera - "Thanks for letting me know, I almost forget. You can go now, I'll just heading to the bathroom. I'll meet you there."

"Okay, Jyuudaime. I'll get Ahoushi on the way."

_The two were studying non-stop since that hour...? Poor Lambo, he must have a headache right now..._

Getting up from his chair, Tsuna closed the folder that he was working on. He watched Gokudera as he closed the door. When his footsteps could longer be heard, he turned his eyes to the window on the right.

"You may appear."

From inside a thick indigo fog, a figure shrouded in a long black cloak appeared.

"Yare, yare. If you knew that I was here all this time, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because, I wanted to see how long you would be able to stay silent and try to hide your presence from me." - Tsuna replied softly with a small smirk on his lips.

"Hmp, You've become very arrogant. So, what did you call me here for? I don't want spend any more time with you without getting something in return."

"In that case, I'll be straightforward. I need you to contact Verde for me."

"Verde? What do you need with him? You have the three best minds working for you."

"Shoichi, Spanner and Giannini are occupied with the construction of the base in Japan, so it makes no sense to remove one of them at the moment. Furthermore, Verde is probably the only one who can do what I need in the shortest time."

"And why do you need me to do that? Why not ask another Arcobaleno?"

"Why? Because Reborn is out fulfilling some mission for the Ninth, Colonello has been training a new team since taking CONSUBIN, and his wife Lal Mirch is out of the country on a mission for CEDEF. Fon is in China, and Skull... I'm sure he must be busy with the Calcassa Famiglia. Also, I know you maintain some contact with him, since he usually pays you to do some work for him."

"Geh! How do you know?"

"You should know better than anyone else by now, not to underestimate a member of the intelligence division in the Vongola." - Tsuna said, slightly narrowing his eyes in fun.

"Yare, yare."

"Do not worry, you'll be well paid. But I need you to do it as soon as possible."

"I will ask permission from the boss to meet a business partner. I imagine you don't want him to know who asked me to do this job."

"Oh, it would be helpful if you could keep this just between us. So? Do we have a deal?" - Tsuna asked, looking at the cloaked figure in front of him, who was almost his same height.

"I'll be back once you receive the endorsement from the boss and then we can set the value of my payment."

"Okay. Thanks. By the way, would like to join us for lunch?" - Tenth asked with a bright smile.

"Tch! I thought you were in a hurry to accomplish this mission." - he muttered before disappearing into the fog again.

_Well, I think this issue is already solved. I can only wait now..._ - his stomach gave a loud grumble - _Speaking of waiting, I think my stomach has had enough of it._

Without lingering any longer, Tsuna walked out into the wide hallways. Idly looking at the paintings that covered the walls, in towards to spacious dining room - more than is necessary in his opinion. Upon entering, he sees Gokudera, Fuuta, Lambo, and two others waiting for him. The first, was a beautiful young woman with shoulder length purple hair wearing a delicate lilac dress and an eye patch. Next to her was a blue-haired man with a strange hairdo that greatly resembled a pineapple at the top, ending in a long ponytail. His eyes were two different colors - the right is red with the kanji six on it and the left eye blue - and he was wearing a light-green jacket over a gray shirt.

"Hello, Bossu."

"Kufufufu. Its been a long time since we last met, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Chrome! Mukuro! I'm glad you're here!" - Tsuna greeted with a big warm smile, making the young woman blush slightly.

"Tch. These two only appear during lunchtime." - Gokudera snarled, sitting to the right side of the place reserved for Tsuna at the end of a long oak table.

"Kufufufu. I've come to receive my new mission, Vongola. I am sure you have something to take away my boredom." - Mukuro said creepily, blatantly ignoring Gokudera, with his signature laugh.

"Heh, he ignored you completely, Gokudera-shi." - Lambo said lazily, he was sitting next to Gokudera and facing Chrome, with Fuuta on his right.

"Shut up, Ahoushi!" - Gokudera replied giving him another one of his deadly looks.

"As for Nagi, I believe that she will be better off staying in the mansion while I'm gone." - Mukuro continued, smiling at the girl beside him, who blushed even more.

"Ah. We'll talk about it after lunch. Anyway, I'm glad you came."

"Tsuna-nii is always so kind." - said a teen, with a smile directed towards Tsuna, he had soft features and brownish hair with hazel eyes.

"Thank you, Fuuta. I'm glad that you also are in the mansion. I hate having to sit in this huge table with just Gokudera, Lambo and me."

"No matter how much time passes, you're still naive, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Hn, have more respect for Jyuudaime pineapple-king." - Gokudera snarled.

"Oya, it seems that not everyone is happy with our presence here, Nagi."

"Mukuro-sama, I don't think that you should taunt them."

"Minna, please, let's try to have a quiet lunch." - Tsuna interjected in a velvety voice followed by a heartwarming smile.

Yes, the key word is _try_, because no matter how much Tsuna's family has matured over the last ten years, some things will never change.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

After dessert, which was mainly Lambo having his favorite grape gelato, which Tsuna had especially asked the chef to bring, he, Gokudera and Mukuro went to his office. Chrome retired to her room - in addition to the many rooms for guests, each Guardian had their own room in the mansion. Lambo and Fuuta went for a walk in the city center, they were going on about 'seeing the new exhibition in the Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna Empedocle Restivo which occupied the fifth place among the most visited exhibitions throughout Italy, and then telling I-pin about it later.'

"Oya, then the skylark has not yet returned from his last mission?"

"Ah. A month has passed since Hibari and Kusakabe-san last reported any news."

"Hunh... That doesn't look good... By the way, Sawada Tsunayoshi, what kind of mission did you gave the skylark to keep him away for so long?"

"Sorry about that Mukuro, but I don't usually disclose the details of other's missions to those who aren't assigned to them." - Tsuna answered, assuming his position as a boss, something that Reborn literally pounded into him with a hammer-Leon for a year on a daily basis, the Spartan tutor had firmly engraved that into his very being during the many extra hours of torture imposed on the newly inaugurated Tenth boss.

"Kufufu, as expected of you, Vongola. So, about my new mission. I hope you have something challenging, because my skills are starting to rust." - Mukuro said calmly, sitting in one of the leather sofas located in front of Tsuna's desk in the center of the office.

_From the way he says it, you would think that he hadn't just returned from a week long mission._ - Tsuna sighed mentally, observing the face of one of his Mist Guardians. - _No matter how much time passes, Mukuro still is unpredictable…_

"I was thinking about giving this mission to you after Hibari's return, but due to recent events, I believe that hesitating over this now will cause more problems in the future." - Tsuna finished with a serious look, which was rarely seen by his Guardians.

"Jyuudaime..."

"Huhn... It seems that something big is about to happen."

Mukuro looked at the man who was practically buried under stacks of papers, some of which he himself had brought days before. Most of it was about the damages he had caused in his last mission, when he _accidentally_ destroyed half of the parking lot belonging to a hotel in Verona, in pursuit of a worm who dared to surround his precious Chrome with indecent proposals - if you considered flowers, a box of chocolates with cherry liqueur and an invitation to dinner, indecent.

Sawada Tsunayoshi had become the exact opposite of the mafia heads in the underworld. He was kind and welcoming, but also known to be terribly inflexible when the situation was necessary. It was a strange combination in Mukuro's opinion, for he, after all, grew up in this dark world. The Tenth boss even managed to bring down, in an astonishing speed, most of the abuses committed by both the Vongola and the Mafia itself, something unprecedented in the history of the underworld.

When Mukuro first met Tsunayoshi in Kokuyo Land a decade ago, he never would have thought that the same wimpy kid would be the powerful man in front of him today. Even in the underworld, his name brought awe and fear. Rumors that the young chief of the tenth generation had surpassed Primo, the founder of the Vongola, were gaining strength every day. Especially after he defeated his own mentor, the infamous Sun Arcobaleno that carries the reputation of the world's best Hitman, in a fight about a year ago. Needless to say that since then, his training has amounted to a level completely inhuman, this was obviously the tutor's retaliation. His reason behind the new intense tort... training was that 'once you've defeated the world's best Hitman, you have the obligation to never be defeated'. And, if you to ask the Mukuro what he thinks about subject, his answer would be a smile bigger than the Cheshire cat - if this is really possible.

"Mukuro, you must be extremely discrete during this mission. All the information for this mission as well as the goals are within this envelope." - Tsuna said, taking a brown envelope from a drawer and handing it to Mukuro, who was already in front of his desk.

"Kufufu. As you wish, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Be careful and no matter what, don't lower your guard."

The monition was loaded with much more concern than usual, Mukuro noticed. Tsuna' eyes were resigned and extremely serious, which surprised both keepers. Mukuro's eyes narrowed and Gokudera fidgeted in his position by the window to the right side of Tsuna. That was the same look Tsuna had after Hibari left his office a month ago.

"It seems that you know something we do not, Vongola." - Mukuro claimed, further narrowing his eyes on Tsuna, whose brown hair covered his eyes once again, hiding his face, this seemed like something that happened quite regularly now - "Well, whatever, I'm sure that sooner or later we'll find out what it is. After all, you do not usually do something that exposes us to danger without a serious reason behind it." - Mukuro finished, placing the envelope inside his coat, he moved toward the exit - "And before you ask, yes, I'll keep in touch. I'll be leaving today, after talking with my precious Chrome."

"Oh, thank you, Mukuro."

Mukuro didn't even need to look back to know that his _boss_ was smiling warmly at him. In the end, Sawada Tsunayoshi was a strange kind of naive.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

In his silent office, leaning back in his chair facing the window, Tsuna held a small paper envelope in one hand and in the other a glass of water. Taking one of the red pills that almost fill up half of the envelope, he swallows it and drinks a little bit water, easing the small capsule into his throat. As he puts the envelope back in his pocket, his thoughts unconsciously focus on the event that happened about two weeks ago...

_"Okay, I finished the treatment."_ - said Shamal, he drops a small box containing his Trident Mosquitoes inside his jacket - _"Are you eating right, sleeping enough and taking the medication?"_

_"Oh, yes I have."_ - says Tsuna putting on his jacket - _"Neh, Shamal, I need you to do something for me."_

_"What?! Is not it enough that I have to serve you even though you're a _man_?" - _he mutters, facing his current patient.

_"Then will you refuse to hear a request from the Vongola Tenth?" - _Tsuna asks with an innocent look.

_"Ho, you've become very conceited over the years, Vongola brat."_

_"What you expect from a student of Reborn?"- _ Tsuna retorted with a mischievous smile on his lips.

_"You have a point."_ - the womanizer said, scratching his already messy hair - _"So what do you want?"_

_"Silence. Do not tell my Guardians, especially Gokudera. He would panic and only worsen the situation. This includes Reborn, I'm sure he'll just get frustrated with himself."_

_"Frustrated? With the way he clung to you, getting angry is the last thing he'll feel. In any case, the diagnosis is not definitive. Your condition should remain stable as long as you continue with the treatment. It might gives us enough time to search for a cure, otherwise-"_

_"I will die."_

_"It's..."_

_"Well, I better go, there's a pile of paperwork that needs to be finished in my office. Not to mention that I didn't tell anyone where I was going before I left. I don't want them to be more concerned than they already are." -_ Tsuna says, getting up.

_"Here!"_ - exclaims Shamal suddenly, throwing him a small paper envelope, which Tsuna catches with ease - _"This should take away the pain. Don't worry, I won't say anything. Just... Just make sure you stay alive. Hayato... He would probably follow him you if you died."_

_"Thanks."_

_"Now, go! Tenth Vongola or not, you're still a man!"_

_Ah, I still cannot die! Especially when my precious family needs me! I have so many things I need and want to do... Like properly confess my love to Kyoko-chan, which has only grown over the years... But before anything else..._

"You may appear, Mammon. I was expecting you," - said Tsuna, realizing a lightweight presence had entered his office.

Out of an indigo mist, the adult body the Varia's illusionist appeared, as if by magic.

"Yare, yare. That damn Intuition of yours is even more refined than the boss'." - grumbled, the somewhat androgynous figure in his usual bored tone.

"I guess if you're here than that means Xanxus gave his permission, so I better be quick then. I will only give you half of the cash now, and the other half after you fulfill the mission." - informed Tsuna, once again in his" boss mode ".

"Sure. Sounds good to me."

"The first amount is within this package." - Tsuna continued, handing it over to Mammon, who immediately takes the notes in account - "Is that enough for the first payment?" - although it sounded like a question, Tsuna's tone and his eyes were challenging the Arcobaleno to ask for more, something that Mammon choose wisely not to do, when he was done checking, he put the envelope inside his coat - "Great! Then, your mission is to give this to Verde as soon as possible." - Tsuna declared, he handed the delivery, a small closed silver box, to the greedy illusionist - "Tell him that the Tenth Vongola is eager to see it."

Mammon noted the box for a brief moment before taking a look at the man in front of him. Earlier when had he come into his office, something about Tsuna had called to his attention. His face had looked a little pale, however, he ignored the subject, thinking that he might have been mistaken. But now observing him more carefully, he realized that the Tenth really looked pale, and it wasn't the tone that was gained by spending a lot of time working in an office without leave, it was a sickly pale. Well, whatever it was, it was not in his interest to investigate. The brat was just not sleeping enough and working more he rationalized. Unlike his boss, who places all his duties on his Guardians and spends his days drinking, napping and hurling objects in his employees - which was usually Squalo.

"If that's all then I'm going. After all, you said yourself wants the job done as quickly as possible." - without another word, Mammon disappeared along with his presence.

_ Ah, it seems that it's time to take a short break._ - Tsuna thought, approaching the large window, with hands in his pockets. A gentle smile dawns on his beautiful face as he sees a black car entering the property.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

A tall man carrying a katana slung over his shoulder, enters the large Vongola mansion. He was wearing a black suit and a tie, with a loose blue shirt. His black hair was short and his caramel orbs seeming to be carefree. On his face, to the right side of his jaw, was a deep vertical scar - the result of an intensive training with Squalo. As he goes into the lobby, he finds his fellow Guardian and hot tempered friend already there waiting. Coming down the stairs with a wide and welcoming smile, was his dear friend and boss.

"Welcome back, Yamamoto."

"Hello Tsuna, Gokudera."

"Tch!"

"How was your trip?" - Tsuna asks, joining the two.

"It went well. Before coming here I spent some days at the base, Shoichi sent some documents and projects for you to analyze and he wants your approval for building a larger generator. Spanner has these new lenses for you and Giannini said that today the system's main base will be ready and running."

"This is great news."

"How much have those three idiots manage to finish?"

"Shoichi mentioned that with the main system fully active, about 85% of the work will be done."

"That is much more than when we visited the future, and there are many new features being added as well."

"As expected of Jyuudaime!"

"Gokudera, I'm not one who is building the base in Japan."

"No, but thanks Jyuudaime's idea it is being built."

"At this point I agree with Gokudera, Tsuna. Your idea of building the base is excellent, it will greatly help the Vongola."

"It seems that I cannot go against you two." - says Tsuna, a slight smile tugging at his lips - "Anyway, Yamamoto, how are the others and your father doing? Did you see Kyoko-chan, Haru and I-pin? And I'm extremely sure that onii-san will ask you about Kurokawa." - at this last comment, the three started laughing.

"Hahaha, my father is well, he expanded the restaurant and now has two more employees. About the girls, Miura and Sasagawa are well, they send their greetings, Kurokawa is working at her father's the company and I-pin is still working on delivering ramen. She sent something in a box for Lambo, it's in my luggage. I actually have a present from those two as well, the girls sent a yukata for Chrome from Miura's new clothing line. Oh, and they're planning to come visit us soon." - imperceptible to the two, at Yamamoto's words, Tsuna's gaze became serious for a split second - "Ah, Tsuna, today I'll be making dinner. I want to make sushi with the tuna that my father sent especially for you." - Yamamoto finished, his signature smile ever present on his face.

"Yakyū baka! How did you bring a fish from Japan to Italy by plane on a flight that wasn't private?" - Gokudera raged, muttering in different languages about his lack of common sense.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera, you shouldn't worry so much about it, everything was fine. Also, I'm sure that Tsuna was missing home..." - the two look back at their Sky, who just smiled brightly at the nonsense discussion his friends were having.

"Ah, but now, here is also my, no, our home. I sure, that since many of us are from Japan, you guys understand when I say I sometimes miss the food and sights. Even more so since I became Vongola the Tenth, I've only gone to Japan twice, in the last six years, and the second time was four years ago when they began the preparations for building the new base. So, Yamamoto, sushi would be great." - Tsuna finished off with a warm nostalgic smile.

"Tsuna..."

"Jyuudaime..."

"Oh by the way," - Yamamoto said - "I think that Hibari would also enjoy our dinner tonight. I mean he loves Namimori and traditions so much that it's really surprising that he spends most of his time away from Japan and on his own. Well, this is the ex-prefect we're talking about, he was always slightly unpredictable and hard to understand."

Listening to Yamamoto, Tsuna lets his hair partially cover his eyes, making his expression difficult to be decipher.

"Tch! That bastard still hasn't returned nor sent any news and its already been one month."

"Hibari is not back yet? Tsuna... Have you thought about sending one of us to go after him? Even if this is Hibari, him not contacting us is strange."

"I already suggested that, but Jyuudaime wants to wait a little longer."

"Tsuna, if you want I can leave early tomorrow morning, just give me the coordinates to Hibari's last known location and I'll find him."

"No." - Tsuna said while shaking his head - "Yamamoto you just got back from a mission, you must be tired. Furthermore, if Hibari does not return or contact any of us by the end of the week, I will ask onii-san to go. So for now, just rest."

"If this is what you want Tsuna. " - Yamamoto accepted, albeit a little unwillingly.

"Thank you. Now I have to go back to the office, there's still some documents to review and sign for the meeting tomorrow with the Galhardoni Famiglia. See you at dinner."

"Oh, okay! I will make excellent sushi for everyone! While I was in Japan, I practiced a little with my father." - Yamamoto said with another one of his bright smiles.

"I'll be waiting anxiously, then."

"Jyuudaime, if you need help call me. I'll be checking to see if this Yakyū baka will make dinner right."

"Oh?! Will you help me, Gokudera?"

"Tch! As if I would let Jyuudaime eat something made by a Yakyū baka like you. I have to make sure that it won't give him indigestion."

"Maa, maa Gokudera! I know what I'm doing, I grew up in a sushi restaurant after all!"

"Tch, you're only understand baseball and swords!"

"You two, I really must go." - Tsuna interrupted, he knew that when his two Guardians begin to argue, especially on the rare occasions that Yamamoto comes up with arguments to refute, the discussions tend to be long.

"Sure. See you later, Tsuna."

"Until dinner, Jyuudaime!"

With one last smile to his friends, Tsuna walked back to his office.

_ Ah, the quiet rain that washes it all has returned... I wonder when the cloud will come back...? _- Tsuna thinks, glancing at the sky that was beginning to darken.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

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Again, tora-chan83, thanks for your great help! So minna-san, Cielo deserves review?  
Ciao, ciao!


	3. Apprehension Part 2

Hello, minna-san, I'm back!  
Sorry for the delay, it was my fault, my dear beta already taken care of this chapter a long time and I did not post it for lack of time though.  
I want to thanks all those who are reading and commenting Cielo, you are my joy!  
Again, a big thanks to Tora-chan83 by beta-ed another chapter, without her help I would not be continuing this story here on the site!  
Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** KHR belongs to Akira Amano-sensei, only the plot is mine!

* * *

******Apprehension - Part 2**

Primo's era, three weeks before the invasion...

A man wearing a long black cassock ran across the corridor with a speed and agility that was somewhat uncommon to find in a celibate. He had short, turf like black hair, dark honey colored eyes and, curiously, a white bandage over his nose. Without bothering to knock on the door, he barged into the room, immediately attracting the attention of the six individuals present there.

"Primo! Bad news!" - He screamed at the top of his lungs, making all of them cringe away.

Giotto, who had his eyes fixed on his noisy Guardian of the Sun, instantly shuddered. His Hyper Intuition had been bothering him since he woke up that morning. Something bad was about to happen, and Knuckle's abrupt entry only confirmed what he was already feeling. This fact did nothing to improve his mood and growing migraine.

"Calm down, Knuckle." - the tranquil rain advised with a quiet tone, although he wanted to find out more about the situation, he didn't want to go deaf in the process.

"Tch! It must be really bad for you invade the room screaming like that." - G grumbled while watching Lampo get up the ground, when the priest had entered so suddenly and loudly, he had frightened the boy so much that he fell off the chair, which also toppled.

"If you continue to be noisy-"

"In town a pile of bodies was abandoned close to Church!" - Knuckle continued to inform them, interrupting Alaude - "May God watch over them as they rest peacefully." - he clasped his hands in prayer, quickly praying for the dead.

A chorus of "What?" was voiced by several bewildered people inside the room. The only exceptions were Alaude and Lampo, who fell off the chair again with a groan. The platinum blond, on the other hand, just narrowed his eyes, while a pair of handcuffs suddenly appeared in his grasp.

"Explain." - was all that Giotto could say.

"I went to church to pray, but on the way, I saw a pile of corpses lying on the ground, killed and displayed as if they were not even human beings. They were in the empty field that you donated to the church to build the school." - the priest said, his words containing a slight bitterness.

"What cruelty." - mumbled Ugetsu, who had stopped playing his flute at the time that his friend had entered the room yelling.

"Scary..." - Lampo whimpered once he was seated.

"And also... I am sure that many of the bodies belong to the residents who had disappeared the month before last. Among them, I recognized Enrico the shoe shop's owner's son and the sister of Fazio, of the pension located at the entrance of the city." "Nufufufu, it seems that someone is challenging us." - Daemon commented with his signature laugh.

"Tch! Those bastards! Primo!" - G exclaimed; he turned his gaze to his childhood friend, who was sitting at the edge of the table, his orange orbs hidden by his golden hair, and a serious expression on his handsome face.

"Ah. We must put an end to this situation." - Giotto said, looking up and finding the same look on his guardians' faces.

**~~~ І ~~~**

The meeting had started about thirty minutes ago, and since then, Tsuna had more than enough time to analyze the man before him. Guiseppe Galhardoni II, who was the head of the promising Galhardoni Famiglia of Verona, one of the countless famiglias that were formed after Primo's reign. They in particular possess a military power already well developed despite their size, which was about seven hundred members. Not bad for a small Famiglia who had graduated in less than three decades. Although Galhardoni was very recent in comparison to the Vongola, the second boss was a good ten years older than Tsuna, but that didn't intimidate the Tenth Vongola. After all, when you are under the Spartan coaching of the world's best Hitman, and having to face real death threats on a daily basis, few things and people in the world could really shake your confidence and tranquility. This was, without taking into account the other members in his family. Mainly the three men known and feared throughout the underworld; Xanxus, who, despite the rivalry declared against the legitimate successor of the Vongola, still counts as an active member of Famiglia, Rokudo Mukuro, the powerful and sadistic illusionist who managed to escape the dreaded Vendicare twice, and finally, Hibari Kyoya, the strongest guardian in the Vongola, whose thirst for blood and passion for fights precede wherever he goes.

Tsuna looked staunchly at Guiseppe, while the man intently read all the terms to form the alliance between Vongola and Galhardoni. His short hair was between blond and brown, in a somewhat curious mixture, but it highlighted his copper eyes. But unlike Tsuna, whose body mysteriously remains somewhat slim - not that he doesn't have strong and developed muscles, his body just doesn't have any unnecessary surplus of muscle mass, despite the horrifying endless hours of torture in the training with Reborn - he could tell that Guiseppe's physique was clearly worked, the arm muscles were barely disguised by the black suit and white shirt. He also had on a light blue satin tie, something that seemed quite out of place on the Italian's corpulent figure.

But, putting aside the strange fashion sense for a mob boss like Guiseppe, Tsuna liked what he found in the man before his eyes, the man seemed to have a strong sense of justice, something quite rare to find in the underworld. Another point that Tsuna liked was the fact that, in all this time, the heir Galhardoni never showed hostility or tried to claim some kind of status within the great Vongola. All he asked was that the Vongola protect their subordinates as if they were part of the Famiglia. This actually sounded like music to the Tenth's ears. In the past six years of meetings, and most likely many more to come, there had been a few failed attempts with other Famiglias to form alliances.

This was mainly because they started making unreasonable demands, like wanting a privileged place in the center of the main Alliance, which currently consisted of the Vongola, Cavallone, Shimon, Giglio Nero and finally the Gesso Famiglias. Others had wanted possessions, and there were even those who had inadvertently come to the Tenth wanting a free way to do obscure business - the latter managed to irritate Tsuna so much that very few of those kinds of people still exist the underworld, courtesy of his overprotective guardians who took Tsuna's wrath as their own. Yes, Sawada Tsunayoshi kindly accept anyone in his family with open heart and a warm smile on his lips, as long as they have the desire to protect him. For Sky is above all who are fair and is unable to embrace those whose hearts and souls have become too obscure and refuse to change.

Looking away from Guiseppe, he rapidly took in the meeting room, which was located in the hotel where the boss of Galhardoni and his entourage were staying at. It was in the center of Palermo - Tsuna's personal choice - since Guiseppe had been displaced from his hometown in order to establish the new covenant. Tsuna shifted the meeting place so that it was closer for the sake the guests, instead of making them come to the mansion, which was considerably far away from the city's center, in a region surrounded by dense forest.

In the room, which the hotel manager, and a member of the Vongola, had gladly yielded to his gentle boss, there was a mahogany table with the capacity for up to ten people. Yet, only two people were seated around the table . One of which, was Tsuna, who was sitting at one end with Gokudera standing back a little to his right side with his typical expression. While Yamamoto, who stubbornly rejected his boss' suggestion to stay at the mansion to rest, was waiting outside the door, along with five other Galhardoni bodyguards. In turn, occupying the other end, was Guiseppe and his right hand man, named Francesco Adami, who had also been the right hand of his father, the founder of Galhardoni and now a man in his fifties. The right hand man had a look in his gray orbs that belonged to a bird of prey.

"Tenth, I believe that all the terms are in line with our expectations and we accept them with full assurance." - Guiseppe's raspy voice rang throughout the silent room, making a gentle smile appear on Tsuna's lips.

"I'm glad to know that the Vongola and Galhardoni, from now on are a single Family." - informed Tsuna, his smile broadening.

While both sides signed the papers that validate the alliance, Guiseppe threw one last look at the already legendary figure, apparently imperturbable, sitting across from him. The young man, who had less than a decade of life compared to himself, was known by all in the mafia.

It was common knowledge that Sawada Tsunayoshi, the Tenth Boss of the largest and most powerful Famiglia in the Mafia, the Vongola, had not grown up in the underworld. He was a normal boy until he reached fourteen year, when he was dragged into this world of darkness without the option to escape. However, once he took his place as chief, it was like a refreshing wave flooded away all the horrors of this world, and in a short time his figure gained prominence. The young boss, who seemed to emanate a powerful aura naturally, endeavored to reduce inequities, disagreements and pointless bloodshed within the Mafia, and in a few years, things in the underworld calmed down considerably. And this same Tenth, known for his kind heart, and who prefers to solve his problems on a daily basis with dialogue and negotiations, is also, always willing to forgive.

Ironically, the young Don is also the strongest person that the mafia has ever seen. They say that looking into his hazel-brown eyes, which not infrequently hinted soft shades of orange from time to time, was about the same as having your soul read like an open book, such is the depth of his gaze. Added to all this, have the much-talked Hyper Intuition that flowed through the blood of all the bosses of the Vongola since its founder.

"Well, since we finished signing, I fear that I have to go. I apologize, but there are still some commitments that require my attention." - Tsuna announced, closing the folder with copy of the newly-made alliance in it.

"There is no need to apologize, Tenth. We understand perfectly well that deals with a Famiglia as large as the Vongola would require much of your time as a boss." - replied Giuseppe, feeling comfortable with the aura emanating from the warm sweet smile that other boss had in his face.

"Ah, I'm so grateful. Until we meet again." - Tsuna said, while holding tightly onto Giuseppe's hand - "And I hope that your stay in Palermo is very enjoyable."

"Thank you, Tenth. Until we meet again."

"You seem much more relaxed than I thought you would be." - Francesco commented, noting the determined expression on the face of his boss, after leaving the Vongola boss in the room.

"The Tenth Vongola is an amazing person, you do not agree, Francesco?" - he asked, still looking with obvious admiration on his face at the door where Tsuna and Gokudera had come out.

"Oh, no doubt." - the sharp right hand man agreed with a nod.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

"Tsuna, was everything okay with the Galhardoni? The meeting was much quicker than I expected." - Yamamoto asked, looking into the rear view mirror of the car he was currently driving, he watched his boss, who was staring out of the dark glass window, which was, of course, bullet proof.

"Ah, everything went fine. Guiseppe Galhardoni is an interesting boss. It will be good to have him on our side."

"Tch. Those two seem like amateurs. That boss was very scared when Jyuudaime entered the room, and his right hand was staring at Jyuudaime almost the whole entire meeting." - Gokudera snarled, he was seated in the passenger seat with his arms crossed, and a furious scowl on his face.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. If Tsuna liked him then it doesn't matter that much. Moreover, I talked with his bodyguards, Galhardoni seems to be a really good boss. But of course, he doesn't even come close to ours." - Yamamoto said, grinning, he looked back at Tsuna, who just sighed and shook his head at his closest friends' comments.

"Of course he does not equate Jyuudaime, Yakyū baka! Jyuudaime is unique and incomparable!" - Gokudera exclaimed, launching one of his rare smiles at Tsuna.

"You two keep giving me all the credit." - Tsuna joked, leaning his head back on the seat and letting his mind wander, slowly blanking out.

"Tsuna seems more tired than usual." - Yamamoto said, in a tone that only Gokudera could hear, showing his serious side, as he finds his precious friend snoring quietly in the back seat.

"Ah. Jyuudaime doesn't seem to be fully recovered yet. Reborn-san asked me to keep an eye on Jyuudaime's behavior. Since he has such a high resistance to pain, he could claim that he is fine, when in fact, he is at the verge of another collapse." - Gokudera replied, he was reminded of the serious expression on the Hitman's face, two days before Yamamoto's return, when Reborn had left the mansion to full fill a request from the Ninth, he tried to focus on other things, rather than the incident a few weeks before.

While both assimilate Gokudera's words, the heavy the weight they carried seemed more prominent, and soon silence fell between the car's occupants. Both Gokudera and Yamamoto were so immersed in their own thoughts, that they awakened only when they saw the great gate of the Vongola mansion.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

"EXTREME!" - the familiar shout sounded outside of the castle, while a certain gray-haired boxer, with a bandage over his nose, ran around the property. He was being followed by about eighteen men gasping and appearing to be on the verge of collapse. All this fatigue was due to the fact that they were completing their third lap around the enormous plot of land that belonged to Varia - the unit of assassins regardless of the Vongola, who were led by the ruthless Xanxus - before that, they have done 800 abdominal exercises, followed by an hour and a half of wrestling. The five laps around the property was a way to _relax_ the body, according to boxer extremist.

_"...I'm sending one of my Guardians to continue the training of the Varia's new recruits, as Lussuria had requested since he will be absent for an indefinite period of time. I assure you that his subordinates are in good hands... "_

"Damn trash! That _damn kid_ sent me another f***ing noisy trash!" - Xanxus growled, recalling the connection that he received from the _trash_ a damn week ago, he threw another wine glass to the nearest wall.

"VOOOOIIIIIII! Damn boss, why did you call me?!"

"Shut up, trash." - he growled again, this time throwing the bottle millimeters away from Squalo's head, breaking it against the wall next to Levi, who was in charge of finding another glass, and now another bottle of wine for his precious, and hot tempered boss.

"VOOOOOOIIIIIII! What do you think you're doing you retarded boss?!"- Squalo screamed angrily, haphazardly swinging the sword that was connected to his left arm.

"Trash, what's that damn noisy guardian of the other damn trash doing this time? He hasn't shut up since five in the morning!" - despite the almost moderate tone in Xanxus' voice, his words embedded the clear threat of bloodshed, this, coupled with his red eyes which glowed threateningly, and the murderous and predatory aura, they could definitely tell that he was anything other than calm.

"VOOOOOIIIIIII! How the heck do I know! Did you even asked him to replace Lussuria in the training for the beginners!" - the long haired man yelled again, this time unable to deviate from the new cup full of wine which Xanxus threw in his direction, bursting on contact with his forehead, which immediately began to bleed - "VOOOOOOIIIIIIII! Stop it you damn retarded boss!"

"Shishishishi. It seems that the boss is on the verge of killing the guardian the Tenth sent to replace Lussuria while he's away on a mission." - Bel commented, his signature laugh ringing out as he threw knives at the pineapple-shaped hat that was Fran's head.

"Bel-Senpai." - Fran's bored and slightly slurred voice complained - "Could you refrain from creating holes in my new hat?" - he removed, one by one, the many knives that were stuck in his hat, throwing them behind him.

"Don't want to, and stop throwing my knives! The Prince forces you pick them up. Since Mammon is not here and we have no new missions, you will have to serve as my _target_ to pass the time. Also, why are you wearing that ridiculous pineapple hat?"

"Ah, this is a tribute to my _dear _teacher who let me take back my place in the Varia while he is busy with Tenth-senpai. And why would you want such cheap knives back? I'm doing you a favor by throwing them away." - Fran explained in his monotone voice.

A vein popped out from Bel's forehead.

"Shishishishi. I'm sure Rokudo Mukuro will not be happy to know your wearing that." - Bel grinned forcefully, throwing more knives at Fran's head again, a satisfying 'thump' and a fake cry of pain, told him that he had hit his mark - "How would a peasant know quality knives when he sees it anyway?"

Back and forth they went on like this, while outside the castle, another cry of _'extreme'_could be heard.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

Feeling his whole body comfortably relax, Tsuna resisted the idea of awakening. His body had started to ache during the meeting that morning and it took a lot of energy to stay firm and not let his inner discomfort show on his face, which, Tsuna knows has been very pale ever since three weeks ago. After all, even Tsuna finds time to look in the mirror sometimes – because, according to Reborn, 'a boss who does not take care of their appearance is a disgrace'. A strange and yet familiar warm feeling filled his body, and the weight of something settling on his abdomen woke him up more. Still, Tsuna complained about a little more sleep, before opening his eyes. He found himself face to face with an orange flaming mane gently rubbing in his neck.

"Natsu, haven't I already told you not to leave the ring without being called?" - he murmured stroking the sky lion's head, as a domestic cat lying on the chest of his master.

The feline, who had grown considerably over the last ten years, was now equivalent to the height of a sheepdog. The same phenomenon occurred with Uri, Gokudera's box animal, now closely resembling a leopard. Not to mention, he seemed to have finally understood his master a little more, since, Gokudera rarely appears with his face scratched anymore. Perhaps the fact that the Guardian of the Storm learned to control his temper helped Uri to move closer to his master - who was an undeclared lover of cats.

Stopping the rhythmic strokes, while Natsu muttered a 'gao' of disappointment to his master, Tsuna finally observed his surroundings. Obviously he was not in the car with Yamamoto and Gokudera, and Natsu usually only leaves his Vongola Gear when they were in a safe place, moreover, his Hyper Intuition was not crying out 'danger' to the environment. It took no more than a few seconds for Tsuna to perceive where he was. The walls were painted a soft shade of orange, the Vongola crest was above the bed and the carpet in the center of the spacious living room had the same symbol as his new X-Gloves, undoubtedly, this was his room in the Vongola mansion. Looking at himself, he realized that he was still wearing his suit except for the tie and coat. Whoever had brought him to the room had taken them off and put them on the back of a chair, which was near the large window that lit up the room, and had arranged his shoes on the floor beside the bed.

A single thought arose in his mind - _My pain is gone... But I didn't take one of the pills that Shamal gave me. So... -_ turning his gaze downward, Tsuna met Natsu's eyes as he purred at him and let out another 'gao'. - _Could it be that the harmony of the Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sky contained in Natsu's flames stopped my pain...?_

"Ah. Thank you, Natsu. I feel much better." - he said smiling as he stroking the head of the cat again, who, with an ultimate 'gao' to his master, returned to the Vongola Gear in Tsuna's ring.

_ Now the question is: why didn't anyone wake me when we arrived...?_

"You can enter, Chrome." - Tsuna said, sitting up and putting on his shoes.

Under the invitation, the beautiful figure of the Guardian of the Mist appeared timidly from the small hidden opening next to the door. She was wearing a purple skirt with delicate white ruffles on the edge, and an indigo blouse with small pink bows on the sleeves.

It was not news to any of the Guardians that the fact that their beloved boss, due to his Hyper Intuition, could feel the presence of everyone around him. It was something that began with Mukuro, then the bloodthirsty ex-prefect and soon later, it ended up covering all of them. For that reason, Tsuna was always the first to detect when a very hostile intent approached the mansion. Even before the surveillance cameras recorded the presence of the invaders, the inhabitants of the property were already on alert. Therefore, the fact that the Tenth Vongola lives in the mansion is more than enough to make everyone feel safe. It was this ability, which only the Primo was known to have, that made Tsuna's Intuition incredibly strong, even Timoteo had not possessed it despite his successful reign. The thought of such power made him even more legendary in the underworld, causing many rival Famiglias to think twice about sending assassins or spies to the Vongola headquarters.

"Boss, I came to warn you about lunch."

"It's that late?" - he murmured with a sigh - "Chrome, why did no one wake me up earlier?"

"Because Boss looked tired. So, Gokudera-san brought you to your room and Yamamoto-san said not to wake you up until right before lunch. This was to stop Boss from working without stopping again." - she informed him with a determined look, despite the hint of the signature red on her cheeks.

In the recent years, Tsuna took more note of Chrome's history. It cost him a few hours listening to nonsense, and two and a half bottles of expensive wine that Mukuro preferred, to make him even answer the questions the Young Tenth had, but it was worth it. Tsuna devoted a part of his time for the sole purpose of getting closer to Chrome, and have her enter the family even more, something that Mukuro had not opposed - It was particularly after Tsuna _gently_ informed him that he knew his drunk side was more _talkative,_ after all Tsuna is a student of Reborn, after this Mukuro had started to ardently avoid drinking in the presence of his _boss_.

Having been rejected once already, Chrome more than anyone, deserved to feel the love and affection from a true family. Tsuna fought a great deal to make her refer to the other members by their names, and not by their position, since it referred to the climate they were representing. For example, before, Gokudera was simply referred to as Storm-san. These small changes in the behavior of the young girl, and the fact that she was now able to maintain a dialogue that lasts more than two or three sentences, gave joy to Tsuna - though, no matter how hard he tried, he could not convince her to call him Tsuna instead of 'Boss'.

"Okay. But hopefully this little plot of yours will not be repeated often, otherwise Reborn really will kill me for leaving my job and having late paperwork." - Tsuna said with a fake nervous smile.

"It's all right, Boss. Gokudera-san and Yamamoto-san hastened to go through your work in the office." - the illusionist said, slightly deflecting Tsuna's gaze to look at the white curtain on the window.

"Oh, that was unexpected. But I could get used to it." - Tsuna commented, with a warm smile - "Well, shall we go down for lunch?"

"Hai, Boss."

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

Mealtime is a kind of sacred time in the Vongola mansion, a fact which was known to all of the employees. Chef Luigi Pizio, who was responsible for all meals and also for the wonderful banquets the Tenth offered to his guests, had, with a great joy, worked for 36 years in the kitchen in the Vongola headquarters. The fact that working for 'Cielo' and his family, which is how he refers to Tsuna and his guardians, brought him the most happiness was not a secret.

Even having worked for the Ninth, who was a kind hearted person, he idolizes the brunet. When the small 'Cielo' moved to Italy with his guardians, the mansion had become so much brighter - one of the most surprising things about the move, was that Hibari had actually come along, accompanied by Kusakabe of course. When questioned, all the aloof guardian said was, 'I came to find out how disciplined the country was, not to obey the wimpy omnivore. Now stop crowding around or I'll bite you to death.' After that one time, no one asked Hibari again.

After changing in his school years, Tsuna was, and still is, reportedly his most precious Boss. This was especially true after Tsuna had told him that after his mother's foods, Pizio's cooking was the best he'd ever experienced. Needless to say that after this comment, the chef devoted himself wholeheartedly into learning the delicacies of the Japanese cuisine. He even went to ask Yamamoto to give him some tips. The swordsman and baseball lover happily used one of his days off, after a mission, to teach the chef and tell him all their favorite dishes. Since then, three times a month, the table of the Vongola Famiglia is covered with food of only Japanese origin. One time, Pizio went so far as to order fish directly from the Japanese coast - a feat that Tsuna asked him not to repeat without warning him first. Interestingly, these days are the same as the ones when Hibari usually joined the Famiglia for meals, since when in the mansion, he would generally eat in his room.

"Cielo-sama I hope the lunch today is to your liking." - Pizio said, signaling to the employees put all the tasty food in the best Japanese style, on the table.

"Ah, I'm sure it's tasty as always." - Tsuna replied, throwing an amused look at his eccentric chef, who was wearing a bandanna on his forehead with the kanji for Cielo, which was Italian for Oozora or Sora, meaning sky, the nickname, like that of Chrome's and Gokudera's, was not able to revoked.

While the employees put the dishes in front of their beloved master and family, one already well known pink smoke immersed Lambo, who was sitting right next to Gokudera. A barely audible 'not again', was all that could be heard before the smoke engulfed it completely, following it was a well-known cry.

"Waaaaaah! Reborn!"

"Lambo."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, the five year old boy, mumbling some nonsense about 'Hitman idiot kicked me' and ' Lambo-san was not guilty of dame-Tsuna being blown along with Ahodera', jumped into the arms of his nii-san, completely ignoring the reproachful gaze of an angry and coughing Gokudera.

Tsuna patted Lambo's back, while the boy was distracted with eating his plate of tamagoyaki unceremoniously. These sudden appearances of the Lambo from ten years ago, were almost a routine in the family. To prevent embarrassing situations, Tsuna, and everyone else began to carry grape flavored candy in their pockets, as the younger version of his Lightening Guardian often appeared in tears and at inopportune moments. The idea arose after Tsuna's fight with the Shimon Famiglia, when Gokudera appeared to save the day with six different types of sweet grape flavored candy from around the world. After taking over as Vongola the Tenth, Tsuna began, not only carrying around candy, but recommending all his guardians to do the same. Provided that this simple action was taken whenever Lambo came from the past upset, he would soon calm down.

"Tch! Ahoushi is causing trouble for Jyuudaime again."

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. Lambo is just a kid, I'm sure he didn't do any harm. Furthermore, we're all already used to it." - Yamamoto pointed out, calmly eating, to the left of Tsuna and in front of Gokudera.

"Even without the candy, the simple presence of Tsuna-nii is enough to calm Lambo down." - commented Fuuta, sitting next to Chrome, who shook her head in agreement.

"Tsuna is incredible. He manages to keep Lambo quiet without much effort. On the other hand, Gokudera-"

"What is Yakyū baka?" - Gokudera grumbled, interrupting Yamamoto.

"It's just that you and Lambo of this time get along much better than in the past."

"Tch, that's because he is no longer a super annoying brat who goes around throwing grenades in all directions whenever he wants. But tell him that, and I'll blow up you and your dojo." - Gokudera's eyes shined threateningly.

"Hahaha. Maa, maa, what's wrong with admitting that you like the boy?"

"Yakyū baka-"

"Neh, neh. Why does nii-san looks so pale? Mama says that when we're like that it means that we're sick. So is nii-san sick?"

Lambo's innocent comment brought a strange tension, taking away the cheerful atmosphere of dining room. The angry expression on the right hand man of the Tenth, turned into one of apprehension. The smile on Yamamoto's face while he talked nonsense with Gokudera, disappeared. A sad air overwhelmed Chrome, while Fuuta became serious. Noticing the strange silence of his guardians, Tsuna smiled at Lambo.

"Mama is right, Lambo. But I'm feeling much better now, thank you, and you do not need worry." - Tsuna reassured him, moving his eyes of the boy dressed in cow print, to the table with the other beloved family members - "Now, Lambo, can you sit in the place where you were before? It's about time you returned. And remember what you promised me."

"Gyahahahaha. The great Lambo-san will never forget the promise he made to nii-san." - the boy said while taking a small jump to the empty chair next to Gokudera.

Within seconds, a pink smoke replaced a five year old boy with a fifteen year old.

"Yare, yare... At least I got to see Mama again..." - grumbled Lambo, immediately noticing the tense atmosphere which had not completely disappeared - "Vongola, did the younger me do something stupid again?"

"You just asked the question that everyone is afraid to." - Tsuna said with a gentle expression toward the teenager, who, slides down his chair, feeling somehow guilty.

"Tsuna..."

"Jyuudaime..."

"Boss..."

"Tsuna-nii..."

"Relax. What I said to Lambo is purely true. I'm feeling great now." - Tsuna assured, while offering them his sweetest smile that could temporarily disarm everyone, whether it was a mob boss or even your Spartan tutor, which always forces him to hide his face with his fedora hat.

There was a collective sigh around the table, and everyone returned to their habitual actions, eating, discussing, laughing and continuing to discuss.

_Yes, I did not lie to Lambo, I'm fine now, but nothing assures me that will remain for much longer... Anyway, as long as Lambo keeps the promise not to tell the others what he sees in the future, then everything is fine._- and with this last thought, Tsuna asked Pizio to bring him more tamagoyaki, since his, is now in the past, ten years before, resting in the stomach of a five years old Lambo.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

_"Tsuna, you finally decided to call me! I thought you'd forgotten about me!" - _exclaimed a man about the age as Tsuna, in tone between a rebuke and joke, on the computer screen, a young man with bright red hair and ruby eyes watches the pale brunet.

Tsuna was back in his office, and outside, the sun was lowering in the horizon, indicating that in about two hours the sun was going to set.

"Hello to you too, Enma!" - he greeted back with a laugh - "Sorry for the delay in returning your calls, I've been pretty busy lately."

_"How are you? Any new news?" - _asked the Tenth leader of the Shimon Famiglia, sitting in his own office. He was on the island that belonged to the Family, now almost completely inhabited by members who had joined the Famiglia in recent years. - _"You can talk, I'm alone." _the red head added, realizing his friend's hesitation.

"I had another wave of pain this morning during a meeting." - Tsuna confessed, anticipating his friend's reaction.

_ "Tsuna!"_ -Enma said alarmed. He was the only other person that Tsuna revealed his situation to. Even though that was not his original idea, the thought that only Shamal, someone who does not have much freedom, and especially intimacy to vent, knew of his condition, made his uneasy. He found that the himself going through all of this alone, frightened him more than the chance of dying before completing his twenty-fifth birthday.

"I'm fine now. It seems that somehow Natsu's flames function as an analgesic or an anesthetic, because the pain was gone after he used them on me. But I feel that the problem is still here, only temporarily stopped." - Tsuna said, while resting his right hand on his chest.

_ "Tsuna..."_

"I'm sorry Enma. I dragged you into my problem and let you worry-"

_"Idiot! I would be furious with you if you didn't say anything and try to endure it alone! We're friends! You saved me from a cruel fate full of useless hate and revenge! I hear him and try to help with everything I can, it's the least I can do!"_

Without realizing it, Tsuna's eyes began to moisten. Yes, Tsuna always knew that Enma was that rare kind of friend who would do anything to protect those precious to him - like himself. Sometimes though, he forgot about this side of his closest friend.

_"You know you can count on me, Tsuna. If you want me to drop everything here and go to Italy today, you need only ask. I have Adelheid to take care of things here. She'll get a little angry, but she will understand." - _concluded Enma with a little laugh, imagining his right hand's reaction.

Tsuna looked at the image of his friend on the computer screen, it was not just his appearance that had changed over the years - which had also made him look like an exact copy of Shimon Cozart, the creator of Shimon Famiglia. His personality, like that of Tsuna, had become more determined and yet smooth, being able to remain calm in practically any situation. So different from the boy who used to be the target of bullies and chased by dogs. Enma was now a great leader, inspiring confidence and being respected and feared in the underworld as the boss of a one of major Famiglias that formed the main Vongola Alliance, as it should have been from the beginning, if only Daemon had not precipitated and betrayed Primo.

"It's alright Enma. Moreover, we do not want to irritate Adelheid, we both know how scary she can be when angry." - with that comment from Tsuna, both started to laugh, however, it was a bit strained by the memory.

Yes, they knew how the strongest guardian of the Shimon Famiglia could be as scary as hell when angry. Even though Enma had known Adelheid for many years, he only saw her really mad three times. And the worst of all, was precisely in the company of Tsuna, five years ago during the his penultimate visit to Japan, where the Tenth Vongola decided to pay a little visit to Enma, since they had made little connect since he moved definitively to the island belonging to Shimon Famiglia.

Adelheid had - and still has - a resentment against Tsuna's Cloud Guardian - something that went unresolved during the times of struggle between the disciplinary committee, aka Hibari Kyoya, and the liquidation committee, aka Suzuki Adelheid. She had found out about Tsuna's visiting, and the slippery guardian curiously accompanied the Don Vongola - something that earned Tsuna, who was still having some difficulties in controlling the temper of the aloof cloud, some headaches. Adelheid had thought it was the best opportunity to _clarify_ the situation. Unfortunately for her, Hibari just turned around and put the blame of not being interested in fighting, on Tsuna, saying something along the lines of 'the annoying omnivore promised me a fight more interesting.' Fact is that, this had immediately made Adelheid turn her wrath on the young Tenth, who was in a cold sweat in front of her. It was then that Enma decided to take action and try to calm things down - the key word is _try_, because everything that the boy could do just added more fuel to the fire. Frustrated and feeling undervalued by her biggest rival, her patience, the little that remained, had snapped when the two bosses proposed she should 'leave the foolish quarrels behind.' After that, both leaders had to run for their lives.

"Ah, I decided to follow his suggestion. All that remains now is to wait." - Tsuna informed, his smile fading.

_"What about the other matter_?" - Enma resumed his firm and serious posture.

"Last night I was talking about it with Shoichi, he is still working with Spanner and Giannini at the base in Japan, but he is still keeping an eye on everything that happens here in Italy."

_"As expected from the strategist leader of the Tenth Vongola. I wonder how he's doing with his stomach pains."_ - said the redhead, in an amused tone.

"About that, I cannot do anything. When I sent Yamamoto to Japan, I asked him to keep an eye on the three, especially Shoichi. He tends to forget even to eat when he's concentrating on one task. But now that Yamamoto has returned to Italy, I will have to rely on the good sense of Spanner and the laziness of Giannini." - Tsuna replied with a sigh followed by a look of concern, that Reborn had dubbed "Hyper Protection Version Tenth Vongola."

_"What about Hibari-san?"_

"Nothing." - Tsuna said, while shaking his head - "And it has been a month since he received the mission and disappeared. I am sure that it has something to do with _that thing_ though."

_ "What will you do? You cannot ignore the disappearance of the most powerful guardian for much longer. Especially since this is Hibari-san we're talking about."_

Tsuna massaged his temples in a vain attempt to prevent the headache from forming in his brain. In a short time, without any pity, the problems had begun to pile up on his body, which, currently seemed to be near collapse.

"I decided to wait for any news until tomorrow, and if there isn't any, then I'll send onii-san and maybe Yamamoto, who offered to go look for him. However, I believe that is no longer necessary. But, it doesn't mean that the problems have decreased, in fact I think they've increased." - with that last sentence, a flash of orange crossed Tsuna's brown-hazel eyes.

_"It that what your Hyper Intuition is saying_?" - Enma asked, his eyes narrowing slightly at his friend.

"Ah. Enma, I'm sorry, but I really have to go. Once things calm down I will contact you again. Also ... I think the time to pay him another visit has arrived."

_"Ah. I understand. See you, Tsuna_." - Enma ended, parting with a somewhat grim expression on his handsome features.

Once the image of Enma disappeared from the computer screen, Gokudera invaded Tsuna's office, panting slightly with a look of sheer amazement on his face.

"Jyuudaime! Hibari has returned and he's hurt!"

Outside, the sky began to darken into night.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

* * *

Minna-san, let me know what you are thinking about the story. Questions, suggestions, opinions, everything is welcome!  
Ah, among my readers Brazilians there even a bet to see who discovers the mysteries of Cielo first, if anyone wants to join them, tell me your theories, I'll be very happy to read them!  
And Tora-chan83, thanks for all your work beta-ing Cielo!

Ciao, ciao!


	4. The Return of the Cloud

I'm back! Thanks to everyone who commented, added or favorited Cielo, you are my joy!  
A big thank you to my beta Tora-chan83 for all your help, without she this story would not be posted!  
Enjoy!

Disclaimer: KHR belongs to Akira Amano-sensei, only the plot is mine!

* * *

**The Return of the Cloud**

The hotel lobby was busier than usual due to the arrival of a famous actress, who had chosen Milan to spend her vacation with her also distinguished boyfriend, after the long period of recording her latest movie. A mountain of paparazzi and reporters were focused solely on their arrival, and thus did not notice a group of men, all dressed in expensive black suits, and headed towards a meeting room specially reserved for them in the coverage, a luxury granted to few.

With firm steps, the group entered the room which had a large table in the center. Inside, an unsuspecting waiter was supplying the table next to the fridge with drinks. An inadvertence that would certainly be reported to his higher up, probably costing him a substantial discount in his salary at the end of the month, or, far worse, his job.

"Heh, look what we have here, Boss." - Said one of the newcomers, a burly man with a scar over his right eyebrow and wavy hair, which was stuck in a ponytail at shoulder level. The man pointed to the waiter, who, realizing his carelessness, began to tremble, his eyes fixed on the gray floor.

"Let the man work, Santo. Our guests have not even arrived. You, serve me a glass of your best wine." - Another ordered the waiter, he was seated in black chair on the edge of the table, the others following his example.

The waiter gave a curt nod before doing what he was told, then, with another brief nod, withdrew from the room. The young waiter entered the elevator and went down to the tenth floor, entering another a room. Immediately an indigo haze enveloped his body, which dissolved soon after, revealing a pair of bi-colored eyes, followed by an unmistakable sinister laughter.

"Kufufufu, Sawada Tsunayoshi, what kind of problems are you trying to avoid this time?" - He said to himself, while watching the computer screen on a small table, which showed the meeting room, the voices coming out of the speaker indicating that he could also hear what was being said - "Looks like I will not be bored anytime soon."

On the floor beside the door, there was an unconscious figure of a waiter.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

Tsuna entered the infirmary, and was closely followed by a tense Gokudera, who was muttering things that he assumed were curses in different languages. He automatically spotted his Cloud Guardian, who was pale and unconscious, lying on a bed with a nurse tending to his right shoulder and the upper chest. Aiding her was an equally preoccupied Yamamoto. Sitting in an armchair next to the bed was a man with a unique pompadour hairstyle, who was keeping an eye fixed on his boss - this itself told Tsuna enough to imagine what had happened - while an apprehensive Chrome disinfected a few scattered small scratches on his right arm and face.

"How is he?" - Asked the young Tenth, immediately attracting the attention of the occupants in the room, who only now realized their presence.

"He was struck by a strange blade that pierced his shoulder, and was pulled down, ripping a little bit of his chest." - informed Yamamoto, the master swordsman of Tsuna's Family - "We were able to partially close the wound using Luca-san's sun flames, but not shut it completely. Tsuna, there is something very wrong with this injury. His body was rejecting Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sun." - Yamamoto finished, he had a serious look on his face as he looked at his boss.

Immediately, Tsuna's expression darkened noticeably, and a small sigh escaped his lips.

"Kusakabe-san, how are you?" - the brunet asked, turning his worried look to the right hand of the former prefect.

"I'm fine, thanks to Kyo-san." - the man replied, palpable frustration in his voice.

"Tenth-sama, I've done everything that was within my abilities." - the nurse explained, tilting his head slightly to avoid his boss' eyes, while a red tint covered his face, Tsuna's presence tended to provoke such reactions from the female population, and in some of the male.

"Ah, thank you Luca-san. You can withdraw for now. We'll call you if we need, until then, please do not go too far. Gokudera, go get Shamal from your office or wherever he is, and bring him here as soon as possible. Tell him I will not accept his apology." - His harsh tone leaked a thinly veiled threat, telling them that he was not willing to tolerate any of the perverted doctor's whims.

"Hai, Jyuudaime." - Gokudera said before disappearing down the hall.

"Yamamoto, tell onii-san about the current situation, and tell Fuuta and Lambo not to leave the mansion until further notice. No exceptions."

"Yes, Tsuna."

"Chrome, could you contact Mukuro and see if he is well, and also inform him of the situation?"

"Hai, Boss."

Once the young girl withdrew from the room, only Tsuna, the unconscious guardian, and a frustrated Kusakabe remained in place. A brief silence was formed, while Tsuna took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts.

_Things are getting complicated again_ - he thought, looking at the figure of the Guardian of the Cloud, while pressing his hands into fists. Then, he remembered the other person still in the room.

"Hibari can be cold most of the time, but like the cloud that floats, drifting across the sky without being attached anywhere, he also protects the family from a distance, in his own way." - Tsuna said, directing his gentle gaze back to Kusakabe, who was shocked by his words.

"Sawada-san, how do you...?" - Kusakabe asked before correcting himself - "Ah, the Hyper Intuition that the Vongola bosses possess." - he smiled slightly at the man standing beside his boss' bed.

"You can call it that, but coexistence has also helped made me realize this. After all, I know my guardians very well." - Tsuna explained, his orbs hinting a bit orange as he turned back to Hibari - "So don't blame yourself, otherwise it will only make Hibari even more angry when he awakens. After all, he hates to receive help, and he won't be happy to learn that he was rescued after losing consciousness at the entrance of the mansion." - Tsuna completed, having already anticipated the sour mood that his Guardian will have, the Cloud will probably have an even more difficult temperament when he wakes up, the Sky thought, with a somewhat bitter smile on his lips.

Hearing him, Kusakabe fixed his eyes on the Tenth boss of the largest and most powerful Mafia Famiglia, the Vongola. Sawada-san was a unique person, someone with the ability to understand, not only people but also the situations around him with just a glance. Perhaps this ability is due to his legendary Hyper Intuition - although Kusakabe doubted that was only this. He was also one of the few, or perhaps the only person, who was capable of understanding his boss, with his aloof temperament and hatred of feeling trapped. It wasn't in vain that Kyo-san decided to stand beside the Vongola, and somehow under the command of the young Tenth. Though, Hibari will deny this fact to death, after all, the cloud does not follow anyone. But there was no doubt that his boss had developed a strong respect for Sawada-san, the greatest proof of this was the extreme to which he had arrived during the last mission he had received from the Tenth.

_ "Kyo-san, we need to see a doctor!"_ Kusakabe said in alarm to the guardian in front of him. He was stopping the wound on his boss' shoulder with a makeshift bandage using his own suit.

_"No. We will return to the Vongola mansion. Sawada Tsunayoshi needs to know of this as soon as possible."_

_"But, Kyo-san-"_

_"Kusakabe Tetsuya, are you questioning me?"_ Hibari asked in a tone that challenged his right arm to continue, accompanied by a deadly look worthy of a legitimate Shinigami.

Without realizing it, Kusakabe shuddered at the memory. Hibari Kyoya was someone genuinely scary, even when wounded. Speaking of people with frightening powers... Tetsuya saw the worried expression of his _boss,_ indirectly - since his boss is Kyo-san. Sawada Tsunayoshi, if want, can be scarier than anyone he has ever known - more than his own Guardian of the Cloud, a fact that he witnessed in person years ago - but still, he was also the most kind and gentle person that he knew. The perfect type to possess such power, since they would never abuse it. At least, not while his heart is focused on protecting those who are important to him.

"Something wrong Kusakabe-san?" - The Tenth asked, seeing the other's quiet and thoughtful expression.

"No. I'm fine. Just remembering what happened. Kyo-san wanted to return to the mansion as soon as possible. Both that, and his immediate rejection to the idea of being treated by a doctor, is why he was in such a state." - the ex-delinquent responded, again recalling the scene.

"I understand." - Tsuna said, looking back at his guardian with a vague expression on his face - "Let's talk more about it after Gokudera and Shamal get back."

"As you wish, Sawada-san."

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

About fifteen minutes after his departure, Gokudera was back at the door of the ward, dragging one very grumpy Dr. Shamal. In the room was also Yamamoto, who had just arrived after completing the two tasks he received from Tsuna. The brunet had remained in the room almost the whole time, except to answer a call from Dino, who, Tsuna was sure would appear soon to know the details of the situation in which his _problematic_ former-student is in. Chrome, who also just arrived with Fuuta and Lambo, was there as well.

"So... My patient was the sweet Chrome-chan?" - A voice called out in a frivolous tone, which belonged to the shamelessly perverted doctor, for that comment, he received such a reproachful look, courtesy of Tsuna, that it sent a chill down his spine, and this immediately made the doctor realize the seriousness of the situation - "Right, right. What do we have here... Wow! Our _lovable_ Hibari Kyoya, what did he do to get an injury like that?! Walk into a fight against someone with a super chainsaw?" - The doctor questioned, already looking at the holes in the shoulder and chest of the guardian.

"In fact, it was a strange sword with a serrated blade, which seemed more like a kitchen knife made in a larger size covered with a black flame." - Kusakabe informed, receiving incredulous looks from everyone, except Tsuna, whose expression was hidden underneath his brown hair.

"Black Flame..." - repeated Yamamoto, he couldn't believe his own ears, after all, during these past ten years they have never heard of such flames, no matter how strange and unexpected the enemies were.

"Tch! What the hell is this now?" - Gokudera snarled, his eyes giving away the confusion and theories forming in his mind.

"Scary..." - Lambo muttered, standing beside Fuuta, who merely observed, since Tsuna wouldn't have called them there if it wasn't really important.

"I also had trouble understanding when Kyo-san talked about it, since I myself, wasn't able to see the flame. Something that Kyo-san could plainly see. He didn't tell me anything about it. In fact, during the entire mission he did not say anything, and many times acted alone."

_A black flame that not everyone can see_... - Tsuna stopped listening to Kusakabe and focused, momentarily, on that fragment of his commentary, his eyes narrowing.

"Why didn't you contact us for a whole month? Jyuudaime was worried about you." - Gokudera snapped, bringing Tsuna back into the conversation.

"Kyo-san started acting weird after we found that our main contact had disappeared with all the guards and officials of his property killed, probably with the same type of blade that had struck Kyo-san. He decided it wasn't safe for the mission's progress for any information to be passed, that's why we stopped contact." - Kusakabe reasoned, getting a sour look from the Guardian of the Storm, but, that also meant understanding.

"Was Hibari hurt just like that? He, out of all of us, is the most difficult to break down, something that we don't like to admit." Yamamoto stated, he had long abandoned his smiles and assumed his position seriously, the baseball lover glanced sideways at Gokudera, for he, even though he was the leader of the Guardians since he was Tsuna's right arm, especially hated to admit that when it came down to power, Kyoya was by far the strongest of them all, it was something that Reborn always made a point to remind them about, particularly when he had a new type of training for the Guardians, for whom Tsuna continuously frowns at for being at odds.

"Two days ago, we were ambushed in Prague. There were at least forty armed men, mostly carrying those strange swords. As I cannot fight with flames, Kyo-san said that I'd only serve as a deterrent and ordered me to stay out of the way. However, one of the enemies with two of those swords, found me and was about to attack, and before I could react Kyo-san appeared in front of me blocking the blow with his tonfas. Despite that, one of the blades pierced his shoulder. The man, when he had seen who he had hit, tried to create the maximum damage possible. Kyo-san was quick to realize the enemy's strategy and sent him away, but the damage was already done. After that, those who had not been killed fled." - Kusakabe paused, visibly frustrated, while ignoring the stares of his listeners - "I insisted that we go to a doctor, but Kyo-san strongly rejected the idea. He said that, now more than ever, we should go back to the mansion. He wanted to talk to Sawada-san as soon as possible and therefore poorly rested during the trip back. Unfortunately, due to blood loss and stress, Kyo-san fainted as soon as we entered the gates of the mansion."

A hush fell over the room, as everyone absorbed all the information that they had just heard. Even Lambo, who didn't understand much of the conversation, remained silent, not daring to disturb the other's concentration. Some Famiglias were brave - meaning stupid and/or desperate enough to try to ambush Hibari Kyoya, the bloodthirsty Cloud Guardian. After all, it was a fact that whoever tries going against the ruthless Hibari will surely be _bitten to death_.

"Chrome, what did Mukuro say about his situation?" - Tsuna was the first to break the silence, his bangs still covering his face.

"He's well, and said that Boss better have a good explanation for when he gets back." - Chrome replied, recalling the amusement of her master, which meant that soon someone was going to be crying desperately.

"Oh. I understand." - Tsuna paused for a moment, releasing another sigh - "Minna, I know that you want answers, but right now, even I don't have them completely in my grasp." - the brunet admitted, looking up and running his eyes over the faces of all those present - "All I can say is that we must be alert to everything around us. Someone is definitely targeting the Vongola."

_Yes. Again we are the targets... It is better to clarify it before something worse happens..._ - Tsuna's Hyper Intuition told him, while he quickly noted who in his family are currently present in the mansion - _If it wasn't Hibari who was ambushed, but Lambo or Fuuta..._

"That's why, from now on, Guardians who leave the mansion are required to carry their Vongola Gear, and the others shouldn't leave alone. Lambo, you know that out of everybody, your Vongola Gear is the most problematic, but since Shoichi and Spanner were able to adapt it into a Box, you have no excuses not to take it with you. In addition, you are included for those who cannot leave the mansion alone." - As the Tenth boss finished with this, he sent a look to the young guardian containing a 'sorry'.

"Yare, yare. I will, Vongola." - The lazy teen responded, opening his right eye and waving to Tsuna, getting a slight smile back.

"Chrome, provided that Mukuro is currently with the Mist Gear, make sure to always have a Box and at least two rings, obligatorily class A, along with you. Fuuta, please contact the CEDEF and report to Basil the situation, see if they have any new information. Gokudera, please call and ask Bianchi to return to the mansion. I know she is busy looking for new ingredients for her poison cooking, but explain the situation to her." - Tsuna said as he moved his gaze from his right arm to all the occupants in the room - "To everyone, always have a tracking mechanism and a communicator beyond a cellphone with you. And lastly, do not alarm the employees of the mansion, we don't know exactly what is happening, but panic is the last thing we need. I will personally ask Lorenzi-san to bring all the employees the new instructions. As for security, Gokudera, Yamamoto, I leave you the responsibility to rearrange them. Keep the squad leaders on alert, so we won't be caught off guard again. Also, Yamamoto, please pass this information to onii-san."

There was a chorus of 'yes' in the room, followed by the output of each to their obligations. Lambo mumbled something about 'a nap before dinner,' and Chrome retreated to her room in search of another Class A ring of the Mist, since she always had one on her finger. Her boss had given her that ring after becoming the Vongola Tenth so she could keep her own illusionary organs. Whereas Mukuro currently had the Vongola Gear of the Mist - this was what usually happened when Tsuna instructed him with a mission of a higher level, and he doesn't want her to be involved. Yamamoto, followed by Gokudera, who, was on the phone mumbling something like 'aneki, forget the damn scorpions and snakes in Africa,' were going out in search of the squad leaders. Fuuta went to Basil, the new leader of CEDEF, since Sawada Iemitsu retired six months after Tsuna assumed his place as the Tenth Vongola.

"It's still weird to see you give orders without hesitation like a true leader, even though you've already done this for six years." - said Shamal, who had finished his work.

"How is Kyo-san?" - Kusakabe asked before Tsuna could inquire.

"As we all know he's very strong. Even after losing a large amount of blood, he seemed to only have fainted out of exhaustion and lack of sleep. Something to be expected from a battle maniac. The only problem is that the wound will heal slower, taking into consideration what Gokudera said about the sun flames not working with full force. Certainly a higher power, like the extreme Sun Guardian's, would do a better job. Apart from that, he should be fine after recharging his body. And for this, a few hours of sleep will be enough. But ... I'm really curious about these new weapons..." - the womanizer began to divagate until a reproachful gaze from Tsuna brought him back on track - "Anyway, Hibari is fine, there's nothing to worry about."

"Kyo-san..." - the right hand man muttered in relief.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll spend the night in the mansion and tomorrow I'll go back to my office. If you need to talk to me just call me." - the doctor explained.

"Ah, thank you for coming." - Tsuna remarked, giving him a gentle and grateful smile.

"As if I had another option. You just send Hayato personally for me, it was an emergency, besides... I really have no desire to face the wrath of a man who was able to defeat an Arcobaleno."

"Don't remind me. Reborn has only further worsened the hours of torture after that day." - The legendary boss grumbled with a slight frown, the mere mention of such _training_ provoked a chill.

"I really do not want to be in your shoes, Vongola. Now, I think I'll drink some wine. I really hate having to deal with _men_." - the insect wielding doctor moaned, going out of the room.

"Sawada-san, thank you." - Tetsuya said, as the two found themselves alone once again.

"Why?" - Tsuna asked, receiving a look from Kusakabe.

"For being a leader so kind and worry about Kyo-san and me." - the tall man replied, staring at him.

"Kusakabe-san, my family is the most important thing in the world to me. And I'll _always_ protect them."

_Even if that means not telling them I'm..._ - Tsuna choked at the thought. His expression going blank for a split second, though, it was not perceived by the man sitting a few steps to his right.

"Kusakabe-san, you also need to rest. I'll ask Luca-san to stay here so that you can take a shower, eat something and most definitely sleep." - informed Tsuna, walking toward the door.

"Okay, Sawada-san."

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

It was almost dinner time when a large black car parked in front of the main entrance of the Vongola mansion. A handsome blond with brown eyes wearing a brown shirt underneath an olive-green jacket and baggy beige pants, with sample tattoos on his left arm and neck came out of the vehicle followed by a man with white wires in his black hair. They entered the mansion and were greeted by Lorenzi, the old and efficient chief butler responsible for all the employees working in the Vongola headquarters.

"Good night, Lorenzi." - greeted the blonde with a bright smile.

"I was right, you came after all." - A well-known velvety voice sounded from in foyer of the mansion.

"Tsuna! You know that it scares me whenever you appear that way. And why this reception? And how did you know I was coming?"

"Dino, you're asking more questions than usual. It's difficult to answer in this manner. He is well, if that is your biggest concern. Answering the first question, Hyper Intuition and years of coexistence." - the Vongola boss responded, opening an amused smile for the newcomers.

"Oh, I should have known that you'd read me like a book. Sometimes I miss the time when my little brother wasn't able to do such things." - Dino murmured, while Romario was limited to laughing and giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"_Buona sera_, Romario-san."

"Good evening to you too, Tsunayoshi-san."

"Lorenzi-san, you can let me take care of our guests, just notify Pizio-san that we have two more people for dinner." - Tsuna said, sending Dino an amused look, daring him to refuse his invitation, which pulled another snicker from Romario and a resigned sigh by the blonde.

"Hai, Tenth-sama."

"So I imagine that you want to know what happened, otherwise you wouldn't have come rushing at _dinnertime_ on the day of _Japanese food_." - Tsuna joked, extending his mischievous grin.

It is quite common that Dino _eventually_ joins Tsuna and the guardians on the days when Pizio prepares Japanese food. It was no secret to anyone in the Mafia that the Tenth boss of the Cavallone Famiglia was a lover of good food. In addition, Dino had fallen in love with the mother of the Tenth Vongola's culinary skills. Both Dino and Tsuna share the same opinion about the chef's food in the Vongola mansion. Needless to say after 'Cielo', Dino was currently occupying second place in the list of people who warm the cook's heart.

"Tsuna, you're being rude." - Dino grumbled, blushing a little with his younger brother's accusation that he didn't deny - "But, yes, I know I could have simply waited for you to call me, that was also suggested by Romario." - the sometimes clumsy man confessed, after all, at some point in the ten years that are known, Tsuna started to read people like a book, not only Dino, but everyone around him as well, even Reborn became target of this look that could disarm any self-imposed barriers.

"Relax. I would have invited you anyway, but with so many things happening in a short time, I ended up not taking the chance. Furthermore, I knew you were also concerned about Hibari's disappearance. You were his tutor after all. And second, Reborn's motto-"

"A tutor should be responsible for your student to the end." - They recited in chorus, quoting the words of a certain Spartan and sadistic tutor.

"Speaking of Reborn, you've already told him about the latest events, right?"

At the mention of his tutor, Tsuna froze momentarily.

_Ah, Reborn... He's suspicious that I'm hiding something... Something very important, so much that it will certainly change everyone's lives... Sorry, Reborn..._

"-na? Oi, Tsuna?! Are you not feeling well?! Should I call Gokudera?" - Dino panicked, ready to start shaking Tsuna's shoulders, or yell for help, with memories of weeks before starting to invade his mind.

"Sorry, I was distracted, just thinking about some things." - Tsuna reassured them, releasing a comforting smile - "About Reborn, I haven't talked to him yet, since he will soon be returning. Also, I know that he is happy responding to a request from the Ninth again so I don't want to disturb him. Besides, since I am quite grown up, I can deal with my problems, in case you _forgot_." - the Tenth stated, his smile moving be to a more intimidating one.

"Tsuna... As your older brother I'm so proud to see how much you've grown..." - Dino said with his eyes shining.

_Here we go again..._ - Tsuna thought, seeing the look on Dino enter 'older brother mode'.

"If you hold me and start crying, I'll order Pizio-san to remove the separate dish for you." - The brunet warned, while opening the door of the ward as they entered the room.

"Oi, Tsuna! Do not deny your Aniki the right to feel proud of his achievements." - Dino exclaimed in a teasing tone, receiving a false sigh of irritation from Tsuna, this kind of banter between the two had become a normal occurrence within the family, something which everyone had accustomed to.

"Tenth-sama, Cavallone-sama." - greeted Luca, upon seeing the two bosses enter the room.

"Luca-san, how is he?"

"Still asleep, Tenth-sama."

"Thank you. Luca-san, while we are here go get your dinner, we will exit only when you return."

"Hai, Tenth-sama." - Luca said, leaning in and coming out.

"Wow, Kyoya does seem pale. This is probably the first time he really got hurt during a fight."

"According to Kusakabe-san, Hibari was only hurt for interfering when one of the enemies made him a target. So technically, he wasn't_ hurt_ from fighting."

"Kyoya can be cold, but he cannot stand to see a companion being hurt without doing something. Even if he will never admit it." - Dino told him with a sigh as he observed his sleeping problematic former-student - "So what happened?" - He asked, finally getting a serious expression, the jokes would have to stay for a more propitious moment.

"About this..."

Tsuna filled in Dino about everything that Kusakabe had said earlier, such as the strange blades and the black flames, but avoiding the details about what Hibari was doing in his mission. Because this was an issue where only Hibari, Enma and himself, knew all the details, even Shoichi was not aware of everything, while Enma was also an important part of the equation.

"It seems quite problematic, Tsuna." - Dino said after hearing the story.

"I think so too. Even more so than usual, these black flames somehow seem to interfere with others, such as decreasing the effectiveness of the attribute 'activation' of the Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sun. In a battle, with wounds that don't heal as fast as they should, fights become even more dangerous, especially for those who cannot use any rings or Boxes to defend themselves properly."

"You continue to be concerned with the safety of others, as always. How did Reborn call it... Ah! 'Hyper Protection Version Tenth Vongola' " - Dino said, ruffling Tsuna's hair, feeling the tense atmosphere around his 'brother' become smaller, that, and obviously he did it because Tsuna doesn't like it.

"Dino, you'll start with that too?" - Tsuna grumbled, while trying in vain to fix his rebellious soft brown hair.

"I think that term fits you perfectly. Someone who only fights when it is to protect those who are important to him. That is why you are the Cielo of the Vongola Famiglia." - Dino answered, opening one of his bright smiles, the same one that made women blush and sigh - "Likewise, it is because Kyoya is the Cloud who always prefers to fight alone which ends up bringing problems. Frankly, even at this age he is still unwise." - the whip user grumbled at the last part.

"Dino, you sound like a mother scolding a disobedient child."

"Heh?"

_Thankfully, Hibari__is still unconscious._ -Tsuna thought, sighing again, while imagining the scene his guardian would have made if he had heard that comment from the unhappy Dino.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

Dino, Tsuna and Romario were moving on to the dining room, when Luca returned with the tray containing what would be their dinner - Spaghetti alle Vangole, a fact which drew a smile from Tsuna, worsening the condition of the poor tomato-red nurse. Tsuna still couldn't find a good reason to explain for such a reaction.

Bending around the hallway, the three encounter Yamamoto, Gokudera and Kusakabe, who had stopped with strange expressions on their faces. It was one that Tsuna immediately recognized, causing his heart to tighten. After all, those expressions had recently began to appear with a persistent frequency on the faces of his beloved family.

"Guys, why are you standing in the hallway?"

"Tsuna..."

"It's nothing, Jyuudaime. We came to fetch you for dinner." - Gokudera responded quickly before any words were spoken, he felt that as right-hand man, it was his duty to eliminate any of his boss' concerns, an attempt which failed miserably because Tsuna was able to see the hidden truth beneath those words.

"You..." - the brunet grumbled, with an irritated sigh - "If you continue making those depressed faces, I will definitely ask Reborn to intensify your workouts when he returns. Frankly, sometimes I wonder what I did to have so many overprotective friends. Haven't I already told you to relax? I'm not going anywhere." - Tsuna huffed, opening his irresistible smile, baptized by the Ninth as 'attributo del Cielo', which immediately broke the dark aura surrounding the three.

"Sorry to disturb you, Jyuudaime."

"Sorry, Tsuna."

"Sawada-san..."

"And 'attributo del Cielo' strikes again." - Dino said, ruffling Tsuna's hair again, and in turn, receiving _another kind of smile_ from his little brother, it was well-known that when the Tenth uses _it_ as a warning, it always came with a spine-chilling look.

"Dino." -Tsuna said in velvety but firm voice, which was increased by an intimidating stare, alerting his aniki of his limits, something that no one was foolish enough to take lightly.

"Right, right. But now... Can we go to dinner, I really want to eat the delicious Japanese food that your chef made."

"Tch! Another who only appears in time to eat." - Gokudera grumbled.

"Hahaha. So Dino came to dine with us again." - Yamamoto commented, with his signature smile on his lips again.

"Saying it that way makes it seem like I only visit you because of the food." - Dino muttered, blushing for having heard the same complaint twice in one night.

"Boss, give up, you've earned a fame within the Vongola Famiglia." - Romario said with a smile.

"Shut up! If I won this 'fame', you must also be guilty since you also liked the food. Saying that I just visited my brother in Japan because of the food." - he paused for a moment - "Which really is very good. But it wasn't for that reason alone that I was visiting Tsuna. Ah, speaking of Mama, Tsuna, what about your parents? It has already been a long time since I've last seen them." - Dino questioned, as the group entered the dining room, where Chrome, Lambo and Fuuta were already awaiting.

With that question, Tsuna shrunk an eyebrow. It was an expression he often used to wear when he was younger, something that only now appeared when it came to his parents' nonsense.

"I talked with my mom two days ago. They're still in Honolulu on their 'honeymoon'. I wonder how they can call six years off, traveling around the world, a 'honeymoon..." - He commented, broadening his grimace.

"Hahaha. Your parents are so passionate, Tsuna."

"That is not the problem, Yamamoto. It turns out that my dad is making me pay for all their astronomical costs, as 'compensation' for having supported me when I was younger." - the fluffy haired boss said, shrinking his eyebrows a little more and puffing up his cheeks, giving him a fun and somewhat childish air.

"This is the Tsuna I met ten years ago." - Dino said with a laugh - "Even though you smile often, you have become very serious, Tsuna. Who knew my little brother, clunky and chicken-hearted, would become so responsible."

"Pizio-san, you can remove the plate corresponding to Dino, he will stick to the entrance, a light salad." - Tsuna automatically called out in a velvet tone, with a sickeningly sweet smile, his expression was becoming even more frightening than of Mukuro's and Hibari's aura when the two were very close to each other, and the _boss_ was not around to stop them with this same ghastly smile.

A shiver ran down the spine of everyone in the room, including the employees. Everyone remembered the first time _that smile_had appeared.

"Oi, Tsuna! You won't do this with your aniki, will you?!" - Dino cried out in alarm.

"Pizio-san, forget the salad. Bring just a glass of water."

"Ye-yes... Cielo-sama..." - answered the 56 year old man, through his little eyes the color of bronze, he casted a look of apology to the Cavallone Tenth, while running back to the kitchen followed by a handful of stunned employees, meanwhile, the family members began to laugh, except for Gokudera, who was smiling widely in approval at his Jyuudaime's attitude.

Tsuna was being _mischievous_ again in order to relieve the tension that was installed inside the mansion, provided when the strongest guardian of the Tenth returned wounded - was the thought that ran through the minds of everyone sitting around the large dining table. As the sky, Tsuna did everything possible to keep tempers calm.

Fortunately for Dino, Tsuna allowed him to receive his plate back with the promise to stop _disturbing him_. And with that, the dinner went by quietly. Only during the dessert, Mitarashi dango, was the calm disturbed. When Lambo ten years of the past came up again, screaming nonsense about 'Reborn played the Great Lambo-san for the giant turtle to eat him for being annoying' and 'Lambo-san was not guilty, Bianchi played poison cooking on dame-Tsuna and Dino' ending with 'I-pin exploded because of the frightening Tonfas that appeared to fight with Dino'. Needless to say, Dino and Tsuna began to cold sweat at the mention of such memories, but were happy that over the years Hibari began to focus his temper on the 'unfortunates' who cross his path during missions, thereby reducing the risk of the family being _bitten to death_.

"Neh, Tsuna, tell Pizio-san that the dinner was great." - Dino said, while crossing the hall toward the exit.

"Ah. And thanks for visiting. But we really are well."

"Tch! As expected, you know the real reason I came." - the Bucking Horse grumbled, seeing Tsuna's smile widen - "I think I worried for no reason. It's just that... I really don't know what is happening and that makes me a little nervous. I know you must have your reasons for acting like that and I respect them. But keep in mind that you can always count on me._ Always_. Whenever you need help I'll be there." - the blonde reinforced, with a serious look which also was full of tenderness.

"Don't worry, I know that I cannot bear all the burdens alone. After all, we are a family. And I promise that when the time comes, I will clarify everything." - Tsuna told him, breaking out a warm smile.

"Okay. But keep me informed about Kyoya; I was his tutor, after all." - Dino said, with a weary sigh.

"Ah."

"Good evening, Tsuna." - He said in goodbye, heading to the car where Romario was already waiting in the driver's seat.

"Good night, Dino."

_Ah, when the time comes I certainly... _- Tsuna thought, watching his brother go.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

Slightly away from the mansion, near the dense forest, there was a dojo built in best oriental style. Standing by the wall, close to the door, Gokudera was doing something that he had virtually stopped over the years - smoke. He had decided to stop the bad habit when Tsuna began to rebuke him, saying things like, 'if you continue smoking, I won't have a right arm for a long time.' Given the concern of his Jyuudaime, Gokudera rarely resorted to the old habit; which was only when he was really frustrated with himself - like now.

"I thought you quit smoking, Gokudera." - Yamamoto's voice rang out from inside the dojo, where he was practicing in an attempt to distract himself - "You know, Tsuna will be annoyed to discover that you've returned to smoking." - he alerted, not surprised by his friend's distressed look, he also shared the same bitter feelings.

"Tch!" - The silver-haired man grumbled, crushing the cigarette and throwing it into a can, using it to get rid of the 'evidence' of his crime - "Yakyū baka, why do you tell the cristate about Jyuudaime?" - He grumbled again, heading into the large room where his Guardian partner was busy 'impaling' imaginary enemies - "This is a matter that should stay only between us."

"Because either way, sooner or later he would end up knowing. Moreover, it's good that we are talking about what Kusakabe-san was asked to do directly from Tsuna."

"Tch, I still don't see why talk about it, he is not even family."

"You and I know very well that Tsuna doesn't think so. And besides, Kusakabe-san is the right arm of Hibari, who is one of Tsuna's Guardians."

"Tch!"

Yamamoto let the blade of the sword rest on the ground and observed Gokudera for a moment. The Guardian of the Storm acquired the habit of talking little when he was feeling really annoyed, almost like a 'silent storm'. The only reason for him being in such a state was known to everyone - Tsuna and his health. With he himself, it was no different. He has been training like a madman in an attempt to calm the frustration gnawing at him. At this time of night, that itself was more than enough proof that he was concerned about his precious friend, as much as Gokudera.

"Gokudera, do you think that Tsuna is really okay?"

A disturbing, but expected, silence fell on them. Although Tsuna said he was well, he was pallor and the persistent signs of fatigue were beginning to emanate from his body, claiming the opposite, which increased their restlessness.

"I... I do not know. Jyuudaime looks better, but..." - The bomber paused, burning the cigarettes in the can, and the pack in his hand, with his Storm flames - "All we can do is stay close to Jyuudaime so that it doesn't happen again." - he gritted between his teeth, bitterness and fear flowing from his heart.

Yamamoto observed Gokudera more as he headed back to the mansion, while the swordsman stays in the dojo - the conversation from hours before invading his mind.

_"Gokudera-san, Yamamoto-san, what exactly happened while we weren't in the mansion?"_ - Asked Kusakabe, while the three walked down the aisle toward the infirmary, where Tsuna and the Cavallone boss were at the moment.

_"A lot of things happened."_ - Gokudera snarled, not liking the way the conversation seemed to be turning.

_"Maa, maa, Gokudera. Kusakabe just trying to get an update on the situation, since they didn't have any news for a month."_ - the swordsman said, despite having a smile, if observed carefully, Yamamoto was also uncomfortable with the recent question, it wasn't necessary for him, nor Gokudera, to have the Vongola Hyper Intuition to get an idea of what really was the issue, which was left unspoken by the newcomer.

_"I mean... Maybe it's just my imagination, but Sawada-san looks much paler and tired than the last time we saw him."_ - the man said, mentally comparing Tsuna's image on the day before they left for the long mission, with the recent.

Gokudera immediately stopped walking, frozen in the middle of the hallway. Yamamoto was still walking a few steps ahead, but, soon stopped as well. His smile was undone, and instead a strained expression took its place. It was obvious to an observant man like Kusakabe, to perceive all this. After all, he lived daily with the most astute observer among the guardians - Hibari Kyoya. So it was expected for someone like him, would have not have noticed, what the guardians and everyone had been trying desperately to believe that their imaginations were preaching them a bad joke but that it was simply stupid and unlikely.

Kusakabe raised an eyebrow at the two guardians' sudden change in behavior. It was known that among the Tenth's family members, the closest to Tsuna were Yamamoto, master swordsman, and Gokudera, his loyal right-hand man. Whenever a sensitive issue involved their precious friend, the two became more serious and intimidating than they already are. The Rain and Storm abandon their useless fights and become one, a deadly combination, feared and avoided in the underworld. But this time, their reaction was different, it was more grim and somber, like the prelude to something awful about to happen.

_"Tsuna..."_ - Yamamoto's hesitant voice broke the self-imposed silence - "_Tsuna was very ill about a week after you left."_ - he completed with undisguised bitterness.

With the Rain guardian's comment, Gokudera closed his fists almost to the point of bleeding, fingernails digging into flesh tightly. His face was a mixture of a series of emotions; anger, frustration, sadness and fear. On the other hand, Yamamoto's expression was blank, as if his world was beginning to crumble and he didn't know how, or why it was happening. The silence swallowed them again. This time, the air was much denser than the previous. Kusakabe mentally slapped himself. It seemed that he had entered a field full of landmines without realizing it. After all, if something was happening with the 'Sky', all the other elements surrounding it were also affected. And so, the three were standing in the hallway, immersed in thought. Until the reason for their concern appeared.

Yamamoto, taking a break with the memory in his mind, cast a long look outside above him. Darkness. It was all he saw, as if it were hiding from them the face of their _sky_.

"Tsuna..." - He murmured, as he once again went back to relieving his own frustration through intense training.

The rain needs the sky, so that it can wash away all things.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

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Minna-san, I hope you enjoyed! About updates, I intend to post a chapter a week. Once Tora-chan83 already beta-ed several chapters.  
I hope for your comments! Your opinions are very important to me!  
Ciao, ciao


	5. Extra 1: The Fangs of Sawada Tsunayoshi

Ciao minna-san! I'm back! Thanks to everyone who commented, added or favorited Cielo, you are my joy!  
A big thank you to my beta Tora-chan83 for all your help, without she this story would not be posted!  
Ah, that's the first Extra of the story, I wrote - even now - three Extras.  
So, enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** KHR belongs to Akira Amano-sensei, only the plot is mine!

* * *

**The Fangs of Sawada Tsunayoshi**

Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes was how long it took for the patience - which up until now everyone believed to be almost a bottomless pit - of the Tenth Vongola Boss, who was just over 20 years, go to over the top and be swallowed by a wave of irritation, thus causing him to emanate a truly deadly aura.

What happened exactly in those twenty minutes was his two most problematic Guardians grappling in a death struggle. They destroyed not only the training room in the process, but also part of the east wing of the Vongola mansion - as Tsuna observed when he marched out of his office, in that hitherto quiet morning and he entered in the other end of the mansion. He passed through the hallways without missing any of the amazed looks the frightened employees had on their faces caused by the destruction, tremors and rumbling. Clearly, these were the results of the violent attacks created by the two vicious Guardians, who were throwing one blow after another. The lithe man continued to ignore the startled looks that were directed towards him due to the unusual heavy and dangerous aura emanating from his body. His threatening presence and displeased expression made everyone wisely avoid standing in his way as he marched toward the sources of the destruction.

Tsuna was angry. Very, very angry. Angrier than anyone had ever seen. For the past twenty minutes he had been trying to ignore the growing destructive, and especially murderous intent, emanating from downstairs, in the direction of the the training room. While the battle raged on, he had been trying in vain to concentrate on the damn monstrosity embodied in paperwork, which as always, was resting defiantly on his desk.

The disagreement between the two Guardians began shortly after breakfast, in an exchange of unilateral taunts from Mukuro, and the normal threats of 'I'll bite to you death' from Hibari. It had quickly evolved into a confrontation in the room, which was now was destroyed. At first, everyone thought the two would solve their dispute instantly once and for all, since the quarrel between the ex-mayor and the illusionist had been dragged on for six years. But that thought went into space when the first tremor ran through the entire mansion. Tsuna, whose blessed Hyper Intuition had been kicking his head and piercing his stomach since he woke up, had been stubbornly ignoring the ruckus since then. This was, until a lasting tremor scattered and disorganized on the ground, two _huge_ piles of files and reports that had kept him awake until four in the morning. Something which almost cost him a concussion in the head from a ten ton Leon-hammer possessed by his tutor Spartan, who was angry to find his student sleeping in his office again. Yes, it was after that tremor that he decided that since the two _could not_ end their disputes, then _he would_.

In front of the reinforced steel door of the training room, the other Guardians, who currently were all present in the mansion, except for Lambo who was in school - were stuck on deciding on what to do. Yamamoto was training in his dojo when he felt the aura radiating from the mansion followed by violent clashes, and he decided to see what was happening. Upon entering the mansion, he was greeted by a strong quake, which soon told him where the problem was coming from. Running through the halls, he found an angry and cursing Gokudera, who was the first to reach the room, and a Ryohei shouting 'let's break down the door to the extreme' while launching a bandaged fist into the air. A pale Chrome was found standing next to the nervous Kusakabe and an anxious Fuuta. As for Reborn, Yamamoto had seen him when the swordsman made his way into the Vongola headquarters, the Hitman was simply sitting quietly on a bench, drinking coffee in the front yard. Certainly the Arcobaleno was using this dispute between the Guardians to test the reaction of his pupil, and so he didn't even bother to try to stop the fight.

It was obvious that the situation was completely out of control. Although all are certain that something must be done, no one seemed to want to take the initiative. Gokudera was clearly tempted to let them knockout each other 'for disturbing Jyuudaime' while Ryohei just wanted an excuse for an 'extreme fight'. The Guardian of the Rain, had changed his usual smile into a frown when he realized the seriousness of the problem. The man had meditated for a moment, thinking that the best option was to end the fight. However, before the baseball lover could come to a conclusion, an aura even more frightening than the one emanating from the room took over, dropping the temperature below zero degrees.

"Get out." - The man's voice, which was abnormally cold and eerily calm, sounded in the ears of everyone, causing a collective shiver down their spines.

Turning, they were met with the look of their beloved boss. He was not in Hyper Mode, as his flames were not lit, yet he seemed more intimidating beyond anything they had ever seen.

"Damn bastards." - Gokudera snarled at the sight his Jyuudaime's expression, it was something he never imagined seeing on that soft, gentle and always kind face, seeing this now meant that the Tenth was truly furious.

Without missing a second, Ryohei and Gokudera, who were the closest to the door, backed away. At the same moment, a violent kick was thrown followed by a crash, which was the sound of the door falling a good three feet away, giving way to a furious Tsuna. Inside, Hibari, using the full power of his Vongola Gear Tonfas, attacked with blows covered by Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Cloud, while Mukuro rebated each strike with his trident. The Mist continuously created all kinds of illusions that his real power was able to control - ranging from huge pillars of fire with lotus flowers shooting in all directions to sharp and lethal spears made of metal springing from nowhere. The room was full of craters, and a large hole was made through the ceiling, with pieces that were once furniture, now debris, piled next to the half-destroyed walls and fallen ceiling.

They were so engrossed in their fight that they did not realize the door being thrown away. However, once a terrifying aura spread throughout the destroyed room, they immediately diverted their attention to the newcomer. Bad choice. All they saw was a smile. A large, sickeningly sweet, ghastly smile, printed on a face where a pair of orange eyes watched them like two lambs about to be sent to the slaughterhouse - or that was what the bi-colored orbs of Mukuro, combined with the gray-blue eyes of Hibari, saw before the figure disappeared from their field of vision. A split second later, he once again appeared, but this time between the two.

A powerful and very hot hand landing on their necks, was all the two guardians were able to realize before their heads clashed violently against each other. The darkness immediately swallowed both in the ocean of unconsciousness. From the broken door, the others watched the two fighters fall to the floor with a loud bang. Tsuna took deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves as he stood between the two knocked out men. Deeper in the corridor, Reborn pulled his fedora hat to cover his face, while an out-of-place proud smile made its way to his lips. He had been there quietly watching since the frightening aura of Tsuna spread through the corridors and toward the training room. His dame-student was finally able to deal with his Guardians and without the aid of his flames.

It took a few seconds for the spectators to assimilate that their boss had just knocked out the two most violent, and problematic family members in a snap. It took a while for everyone to realize that this was the first time they had ever seen their boss, who was truly gentle, finally lose patience. Which made it clear to everyone that the Tenth Vongola really was a man to be respected above all. And as it took another couple of seconds after that for them to understand that Tsuna, even being scary, was still the same gentle boss with a warm heart and cozy look. The same boss who had been momentarily frozen in place when he saw that he knocked out his Guardians without a second's hesitation.

In the end, Tsuna let his knees buckle under his weight - which was not much. Falling down, he sat massaging his temples while a frustrated sigh escaped his lips.

_Getting angry at this level is even more harmful to my body than the__Spartan training from Reborn_- the brunet thought, taking another deep breath.

"Jyuudaime!"

"Tsuna!"

"Sawada, that was extreme!"

"Tsuna-nii."

"Boss..."

"Sawada-san."

"Sorry everyone. I scared you." - Tsuna said with a somewhat bitter expression assuming his beautiful face.

"It's okay, Tsuna." - Yamamoto reassured, helping to raise Tsuna, while launching a reassuring smile at his friend.

"Jyuudaime did what needed to be done. Someone had to stop those two bastards before they destroyed the mansion or bett- worse get each other killed."

"Ah, Takohead is right. Who knows what would have happen with these two if it continued. Although that was an extreme struggle." - Ryohei commented, with his hand on his chin as if he were trying to imagine the possibilities.

"Tch! Go cure these two idiots, Shibafu!" - Gokudera snarled, knowing that his boss would be worried about the state of the two _bastards_, in return for his efforts, he received a look of appreciation from his Jyuudaime.

"Oh, you can leave Takohead! Sawada, I'll take the pineapple king and Hibari to the ward and heal them there to the extreme!" - The Extreme boxer exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air.

"I'll help you, Sasagawa-san." - informed Kusakabe, already lifting his boss, who was covered with scratches, off the ground.

"I can help take Mukuro." - warned Yamamoto, kneeling beside of the other Guardian, who had several visible bruises.

**~~~Ҳ~~~**

It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when a certain former mayor angrily awoke from his _induced sleep_. He felt his head buzzing: like a crusher, a drill and a chainsaw had resolved to have a little party and they decided to use his brain as the ballroom. Forcing his eyes to adapt again to the brightness of the white walls room, which he immediately recognized as the infirmary, since it was the only room in the entire mansion painted with that color. The aloof man took a deep breath, realizing that with the exception of his head, the other wounds on his body had disappeared. Then, he pulled the memory of what had happened. It took a few seconds for his mind to process what had put him in a situation where his pride was clearly crushed. A certain brunet, carrying a predatory aura and a ghastly smile full of teeth, smashed his head against the pineapple illusionist herbivore. The same _thing_ was already awake, lying in bed next to his bed. The normally creepy man was looking forward with an expression close to horror, as if one of the Vendice guards had come to drag him back to Vendicare. Well, certainly the figure standing between the beds of the two, with a strangely cold expression, was not one of the terrible prison guards of the Mafia world. But his aura of hours before - he was not sure how long they were unconscious - was without a doubt higher than the level of one.

"I see you are finally awake." - The neutral tone of voice was loaded with a seriousness that was usually reserved for dealing with other Mafia bosses, it penetrated the ears of both, which, for some reason, made them assume a sitting posture in their beds.

He stared at them for a few seconds. His orbs, with the familiar orange tone prevailing over the hazel-brown, narrowed in a way that made he pretty intimidating. It was not as much as when he had entered the destroyed training room, but still, it was _very_ threatening- not that two Guardians would admit that the look of the young _boss_ was able to exert such power over them, the great sadistic illusionist and the most powerful Vongola Guardian. Despite, deep down they knew that their expressions, same void of any emotion, were failing miserably at hiding their thoughts in front of this person, who, at some point during their six years together, learned to read them like books.

"Hibari, you live talking about not breaking the order and disturbing the peace." - The Tenth started out, finding the gray-blue eyes of the Guardian of the Cloud - "Well, your fight not only broke the order but disturbed the peace of everyone here in the mansion, _especially_ mine. I hope that the next time you use this argument in your favor, keep in mind that you are not immune to breaking both order and peace, and, if you want it to be valid, you yourself cannot commit such mistakes." - Hibari's eyes flashed with even more irritation at Tsuna's comment - "Mukuro, your struggle completely destroyed Chrome's bedroom and she had to be relocated to one of the guest bedrooms. I'm sure, like _me, you hate to see her wounded_. I know that you will not admit it, but you hold her as one of the precious members of your _family_, the same way as _I_ do." - Mukuro shuddered slightly at the thought of seeing his little and sweet Chrome being wounded.

It was known that Mukuro thought of Chrome as a kind of _younger sister,_ and had become overprotective of her over the years. After all, the two shared a similar, painful past, where those who should have loved them and protected them, deliberately abdicated these responsibilities and left them to their own luck and suffering.

"You two, I hope you learn to control your genius and start acting like adults. _Otherwise_, waking up in the infirmary with a sore head will _certainly_ be the least of your problems." - The orange glow stare that both of them received from Tsuna started a chill down their spine, even if they never will admit it, their _boss_ had learned to make sure his threats would not be taken lightly - "As punishment for ruining the training room and destroying part of the east wing of the mansion, in the time that the repairs take to get ready and finished, you two will be helping me with the paperwork."

With the mention of the task that everyone knew Tsuna hated passionately with his own soul, Mukuro visibly paled. Even his signature laugh, which spilled from his lips, seemed tense. While Hibari squirmed in his bed with a look of contempt on his face, after all, Sawada Tsunayoshi had a good reason for his actions and it was within his rights to be able to _'bite them to death'_ - something that, his pride will never allow him to admit. No matter if the _boss_ had proven that he was not a herbivore, or the fact that he had a much more carnivorous bite despite being disguised with the skin of an omnivore. But that man was very much mistaken if he believed that he, Hibari Kyoya, will get stuck, for whatever number of days the reconstruction will take, in one office, in agglomeration with the pineapple-irritant, doing the damn paperwork.

"I do not give a damn about the place where you will carry out the punishment. If you want to do it in my office or your own room, to me it is irrelevant. But, just as you do not let those who break your rules go unpunished, _you have to do the paperwork_." - Tsuna said, as if reading the thoughts of the Cloud Guardian, and this time Kyoya couldn't help shoot a surprised look at him, which Tsuna promptly returned with a pair of stolid, unwavering orange orbs, it clear to both that the Don _would not let them _escape unpunished this time.

"Kufufu, it seems that we do not have much choice, Vongola." - Mukuro said, his laughter still ringing a bit forced.

"Correction. You _have no_ choice." - the Sky retorted in a neutral tone, which was still leaking a threat, with this last comment, Tsuna walked out of the ward without sparing them a second look, while massaging his temples in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid the pain and good-census kicking his mind because he had lost his temper completely.

"Hn" - Hibari simply muttered, getting to his feet, the Cloud guardian ignored his aching head, and also left the room, while Mukuro, on the other hand, nestled back into his bed.

Sawada Tsunayoshi had finally showed that he has sharp hidden _fangs_.

From that day forward, whenever the two Guardians were on the verge of a fight, one sweet _ghastly_ smile full of teeth from their _boss_, was all it took to make them rethink their options. After all, everyone knew that Tsuna's desk basically lives overflowing with endless damn paperwork - which the Tenth had successfully found a new use for. And of course, the fact that nobody wanted to be the target of the young boss' fury had absolutely nothing to do with it...

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

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Minna-san, I'll wait for your comments! Tell me what you're thinking about story, now that it is being beta-ed, and what you think about the plot of Cielo.  
Ah, I have a facebook page dedicated to fanfics:  
ht*tp*:/*/*ww* *book.*com/*Fanfics*Desu*Neh [take the * of the link]  
About the next chapter, I'll post it up Tuesday.  
Ciao, ciao ^ ^


	6. Cloudy Sky

Minna-san, I'm sorry for the delay in updating, I've been a little busy lately with college, besides I'm writing another KHR fanfiction, which I intend to start posting in Oct. 27.  
As always, a big thanks to my super-beta tora-chan83, her help is crucial for me ^ ^  
Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** KHR belongs to Akira Amano-sensei, only the plot is mine!

* * *

**Cloudy Sky**

Three weeks before...

The majestic Vongola mansion was located in Palermo, the capital of Sicily in Italy. Also known as the General Headquarters, it is the home of the largest and most powerful Mafia Famiglia. Which was currently in the care of the Tenth Generation, as the old boss, the Ninth, Timoteo and his Guardians, were retired and partially out of action. And it was this same very beautiful mansion, presently being bathed by the first rays of the sun, that was significantly more agitated than usual. Taking into account its illustrious inhabitants who were noisy by nature, this was quite an achievement. The fact is that all this agitation began about twenty minutes before the hour of breakfast...

All were already gathered in the large dining room, waiting for the head of the family, the Vongola Tenth, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Tsuna, who long ago lost the bad habit of being late - courtesy of his Spartan and sadistic by nature tutor, who goes by the name of Reborn - had not shown signs that he was awake.

"Neh, Vongola is late, at this rate, Lambo-san will arrive late to school." - said a very bored Lambo, getting a deadly look from Gokudera.

"The stupid cow is right, Tsuna should have arrived by now." - Reborn said, leaving the room and heading toward the bedroom of his 'ex-dame', but still student.

Well, maybe the Don still had a little 'dame' within himself for be so late, but something told Reborn that _this_ not the real reason for Tsuna's delay.

"Reborn-san, I'll go with you." - Gokudera announced, chasing the Hitman without paying attention to the others, feeling that something seemed a little out of place today.

Soon, the two reach the corridor of Tsuna's bedroom. As Reborn reached the door, he turned Leon into a big green hammer. The inhumane tutor wondered himself if he would have to re-educate his student. Opening the door, ready to jump on the bed and slam the hammer on the young Tenth, the Arcobaleno and Gokudera were faced with an organized and clean spacious room, colored in a bright shade of orange. The organization wasn't surprising, since Tsuna had become very responsible and organized, so different from the kid whose bedroom sometimes looked like a war zone with objects, clothes and papers scattered everywhere. But Tsuna was nowhere in sight. "It's cold." - Reborn remarked, putting his hand on the impeccably tidy bed, with Leon now resting on his fedora hat - "It seems that either Tsuna woke up a long ago-"

"Or hadn't returned to the bedroom last night." - Gokudera completed the sentence begun by the Arcobaleno, both had the same dark thought forming in their minds - "I'll check the office." - the silver haired man declared, already launching out of the bedroom without losing a single second after his announcement.

"Ah." - Reborn muttered, pulling at the fedora hat to hide his face, before following the Guardian of Storm, something was wrong.

Gokudera hurried his steps to the point of rushing, as he sped down the wide hallways of the mansion. It wasn't like the Tenth had never spent a whole night awake, working on paperwork which seemingly had no end. Indeed, in the first years when the brunet had assumed the position of the Vongola boss, this kind of situation occurred frequently, with the entire mansion being awake the next morning to the sound of gunfire from a furious Reborn finding his student sleeping with his head on the desk in the office, or with dark circles and a crooked smile for being caught by his tutor _again_. But this had stopped happening after Tsuna fainted on the way to an important meeting with a Famiglia who was interested in making an alliance with the Vongola. Since then, the young Tenth always made sure to sleep, the worst cases being only six hours per night. This had been going on for over three years.

For this reason, the fact that his Jyuudaime had not returned to the bedroom last night, could only mean that something was _very_ wrong, because his boss _does not break_ any promises.

Without bothering to knock on the door, Gokudera entered the office. The scene he came across was something he never wanted to see in his life. Tsuna was lying a few steps away from the door. His handsome face was terribly pale and contorted into a look of pain, while a trickle of blood stained the left corner of his mouth. Running to his boss, Gokudera didn't notice that Reborn, Ryohei and Yamamoto were at his heel. They came bursting into the room as he was supporting the unconscious Tsuna in his arms. Even without a thermometer, the right-hand man could tell that his boss was burning with an abnormally high fever.

Three days. Three long and miserable days was the time in which Tsuna remained unconscious and burning with a fever that seemed to consume his body from the inside out. Along with this, he was writhing with visible signs of extreme pain. This alarmed them even more, because the young boss was known for his exceedingly high pain tolerance - something that he had acquired from the long and painful hours of training that the Spartan Arcobaleno had imposed. Not even any of the colds that young Tenth had caught over the years were strong enough to hold him to a bed for more than half a day, and in most cases, he would only stay due to death threats from Reborn. But now, Tsuna seemed incapable to even maintain his own conscience.

During those three days, while the Guardians plunged into despair, chaos raged in the mansion. Even Shamal, who hates dealing with men, didn't dare to move a foot away from the Vongola headquarters while the Tenth was ill. Dino left everything at the Cavallone Famiglia headquarters and refused to leave the mansion until Tsuna was better, the same applied to Enma as soon as he got the news - he was the only one, beyond Dino, who was informed of Tsuna's status. As soon as he heard, the red head took off in his private jet in company of Kaoru and Rauji, leaving the Shimon Famiglia Island in Adelheid's care. Reborn reluctantly eventually moved away from the bedside of his pupil to tame the mess and try to calm people down.

As expected, during this time Gokudera refused to abandon his Jyuudaime's side. It got to the point where Shamal had to sedate him so that he could also rest - something that was requested by Bianchi - Gokudera had overcome the trauma of his troubled childhood and, therefore, was now able to see the face of his half-sister without being affected.

For three damn days, the Guardians, except for Hibari who had left the week before for a mission, remained in the mansion. Even Mukuro was present, with his excuse being 'I need to ensure that the body that I'll possess is healthy and well' - but everyone knew those were just empty words.

The nightmare ended on the morning of the fourth day, when Tsuna finally opened his beautiful and soothing hazel-brown eyes. As they flickered open, brindle-orange eyes were exposed, filled with the pure determination to continue living.

The 'Sky' was not willing to give up.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Present Time...

The big clock in the living room sounded, indicating midnight. With a small yawn, Tsuna walked silently through the corridors toward his bedroom. At this hour, there were few employees who were still awake inside the Mansion, the same not applying to some of his Guardians, like Yamamoto, who Tsuna earlier saw go toward the dojo with his Shigure Kintoki, the dojo was specially built for him, or Gokudera, who probably, at the moment, was reading a magazine about supernatural things in his bedroom or watching some bizarre documentary on the subject - a hobby he hadn't lost even after a decade. Sometimes Tsuna would even find himself being dragged by an excited bomber to watch an event involving aliens and mythical beings. Chrome, last time that he had verified, was still in the infirmary making sure that Luca-san could rest a bit from the harassment of a drunk Shamal. Although, Tsuna suspected that this wasn't the only reason for the permanence of the Mist Guardian in the room since she was sitting next to the bed of a certain former Prefect, who was still unconscious.

_ A bath and a change of clean clothes are more than welcomed._ - the young Don mused as he finally reached his bedroom, the fatigue was starting to bother him. Pushing his weariness away, he straightened up before bringing his hand to the doorknob - _But it seems that will have to wait._ - Tsuna mentally sighed. The day was turning out longer than expected.

The young chief opened the door and without going to the trouble of turning on the light, walked over to the glass door leading to balcony and opened it.

"Good evening, Tsu-chan ~ " - greeted a figure with white hair and lavender eyes, calmly sitting on the railing of the balcony with a big smile.

"Shiro-chan, you know you can visit me using the front door of the mansion, like a _normal _person does, and at reasonable hour, such as tomorrow morning." - the young boss grumbled slightly, annoyed by another one of _his_ sudden visits.

"Uhn, I prefer to be informal and to visit of this way ~ Also, by doing this, I avoid finding some of your Guardians, especially your guard-dog occupying the right-hand function. You know, he does not like me much ~"

"And we both know why." - Tsuna responded, slightly amused, while the other's smile faltered a bit - "So why the visit at this hour? Even you're not the type who enjoys evening walks."

"I got the information you wanted." - the white haired man said, taking a more serious stance as he delivered a folder to Tsuna, who until then, had been resting on his side on the guardrail - "After taking a look, I thought you should see it immediately, even more so after I heard about Hibari-chan from Sho-chan ~ "

_Hibari_-chan?! - Tsuna ignored his thought on the strange man's sense of nicknames, as it was a freedom that Byakuran had taken a liking to over the years, the brunet even accepted some. With this thought, he browsed through the folder, quickly checking the content. Immediately, the young boss narrowed his eyes, which were beginning to acquire an orange glow.

"Shiro-chan, is this data correct?" - The Tenth asked, his tone leaking more seriousness than usual.

"Yes ~" - Byakuran confirmed with smile.

_How did we not realize this before? _- Tsuna thought, his eyes narrowing a little more as he re-analyzed the data carefully.

"Looks like someone has been working hard to keep it all a secret. Whatever it is, something big is about to happen. And judging by your reaction, it seems that you know something. You're not as shocked as I thought you would be, and even I was surprised by this~ " - The Gesso Don commented, noting that the young Tenth had stopped a few steps ahead him.

"Does anyone else know about it?" - Tsuna asked, ignoring Byakuran's last comment.

"Nope ~ Just you, me and Kikyo. I asked him to investigate in secret. Only told him it was about a suspect of mine. I hope you don't mind that I didn't mention that the suspect was actually yours." - He said, tilting his head to the side like a child wondering if he did something wrong.

"No. Of course not. I even think that's better."

"Well, now that I've fulfilled my mission, I really have to go back. I got out hiding ~ In addition, I believe you prefer to think alone. But remember, Tsu-chan, _you also need to rest_. We do not want you to have _another collapse_." - Byakuran said, a serious expression taking the place of his usual smile.

"Shiro-chan, you..."

"Tell Hibari-chan ~ I wish he recovers fast" - the man said, spreading his wings.

"Okay. And... Thank you, Shiro-chan."

"See you, Tsu-chan ~" and with a last smile, Byakuran took flight and disappeared.

_Ah, if only rest would resolve everything... Anyway, Shiro-chan is right, something big is about to happen, and I doubt that it will be restricted to the mafia world -_Tsuna reflected, glancing at the sky, thick clouds were starting to let the moon's light pass through and illuminate the earth.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Blue-gray eyes opened with slight difficulty. His head felt a little groggy, probably due to blood loss. His body was a bit stiff also, as if it were asking him not to move too much. Something that he decided to accept since he didn't feel a dangerous presence. Speaking of presence, there was someone else in the room with him. A man more or less his height, standing next to the window on the left, just steps away from his bed. The figure was partially bathed by moonlight, casting shadows on the floor and wall. The person was wearing a black suit and had familiar and unruly blonde hair - no, it wasn't blond. Not any more, although his appearance, and even his voice had not changed.

"Ah, so you finally woke up."

This expression also had not changed, his warm smile, which at the same time was preoccupied. The man had decided that in spite of not understanding this person, it had become unnecessary for him judge the other. For some reason, over the years, he had come to accept that fact, but it didn't mean that he would have to like it. It was this person standing near the foot of his bed, who had along the way no longer just become an unimportant herbivore, but a regular part of his life. Even though, he didn't like to admit that he had become accustomed to the idea.

"Hn" - was the only answer to the other, and, as usual, it was understood.

"I heard from Kusakabe-san about your reckless refusal to receive medical treatment." - his _boss_ said in a tone of disapproval.

"Neh, you stayed here until now only to lecture me?" - The injured man shot back, opening a little debauched smile, something which had begun to occur with _some frequency_ over the years, in return, he got a hard look of the other, _he stayed_ -"You were right. _They_ are moving." - He continued, his usual cold expression coming back.

A shadow passed through the pale face of the man in front of him. Pale. Truly paler than normal. More than he was one month before. The ex-prefect narrowed his eyes in recognition of this fact.

"I received some data from Byakuran just over an hour ago. It seems that _they_ had been acting for longer than we thought. At least six months earlier than we suspected." - the other informed, his voice leaking frustration, but mainly concern as he clenched his fists.

"I imagine that Kusakabe Tetsuya informed you about the black flames." - Hibari said, slightly forcing his body to assume a sitting posture, he was starting to seethe in anger for being in such a state.

"Ah, he told us that he couldn't see them while you clearly could, and about the strange blades, too." - The Sky responded, forcing a little more on his closed fists.

"I recovered the piece. Before returning, I put it in a storage Box that Irie Shoichi made specifically for me, so that nobody would be able to open it." - the black haired man paused for a moment, revolving his coat, which was lying on the chair beside his bed, before pulling out a purple Box from his pocket - "It's ironic that something like _that_, saved me from those flames. If I wasn't with him at the time he was hit, the result would have been much worse." - As he said this, Tsuna immediately turned his attention to the Guardian.

"Then the flames ..."

"Hn"

"It wasn't like I didn't suspect..." - The brunet said, furrowing his brow a little - "Anyway, this explains why Luca-san's Shinu Ki no Hoono of the Sun was unable to cure you completely. It seems that the injury caused by the black flame, in some way, was rejecting the attribute 'activation' of the Sun flames. The question is if the other attributes will react the same way." - While Tsuna talked, Hibari slid his fingers over the bandages on his shoulder and chest, the wound was still there, smaller, but still there - "With that, things are going to get complicated." – The Don mumbled to himself, although the other heard it - "Looks like someone is about to open 'Pandora's box' again." - The young boss completed, opening a dark crooked smile at the idea.

"So, what will you do, Sawada?" - Hibari's eyes were once again on the young Tenth.

"I already made my first move. I gave Mukuro the mission that was reserved for after your return. Something made me feel urgent, so I anticipated his departure. He went to Milan two days. Also... If things continue like this, I think that soon I'll have to _see them_." - Tsuna answered with a sigh of annoyance.

"What about the others? You know that you cannot avoid this any longer."

"Ah. I believe the time is coming... And I really do not want to do this, but ..."

"Do you remember what you said to me back then?" - The strongest Guardian asked, although what he said was not really a question, his blue-gray eyes narrowed at the man.

"Then I will deal with the consequences when the time comes. I just..." - Tsuna's voice dropped into almost a whisper as he put more pressure on his wrists, a habit acquired as a way to relieve stress and frustration, but it eventually resulted in the palms of his hands bleeding, a movement that was about to happen.

"What did the other herbivore say?" - Hibari questioned, changing the subject.

_Hibari is always insightful_ - the Sky thought, noticing the split second change of attitude in his Guardian of the Cloud. A mild and gentle smile played on his lips.

"You, better than anyone, know that Enma and I _are far _from being herbivores." - Tsuna commented, this time with a little mocking smile on his face - "I was talking to Enma shortly before you arrived. I told him that the time to pay him another visit is near." he explained, assuming a serious expression and returning his gaze to the large window, the sky was still overcast and partially hindering the brightness of the moon from crossing the grasps of the dark clouds.

A brief silence fell over the room, while Hibari narrowed his eyes, watching his _boss_ - something that he would never admit. Sawada Tsunayoshi was beyond visibly paler, he was also thinner with a tired appearance, though, his eyes still burned with the same unwavering determination that he knew. This same determination which lured him, also made him stand beside the Vongola as a Guardian - another fact that his pride would never allow him to admit out loud.

"You're sick, Sawada Tsunayoshi." - the tonfa wielder said, again, not as a question but a statement.

_Straight forward as usual - _Tsuna thought, with a little sigh - _It seems useless to try to deny it._

"You can say that." - he replied, without facing the Cloud.

"Hn. And you didn't tell the other noisy herbivores or the Akanbō."

"Ah, you can say that too."

Again, the silence formed in the infirmary. Only the two were present, since Tsuna told Luca to rest in the bedroom in front of the ward while he waited for Hibari to wake up. His Intuition, plus the years they had spent together, informed him it would not be long before his awakening, and, as usual, it was right.

"Abstaining from sleep is not a smart thing to do, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Tomorrow morning I will give you the report containing all information on this mission." - Hibari's voice was the first sound to break the peaceful silence in the room, which had lasted no more than a few seconds.

_So this is his way of saying that I should look after my health. So direct in a few things, but he finds it hard to do the same for other topics._

"Okay. And Hibari, welcome back." - the Tenth said, opening one of his warm smiles, reserved solely for members of his beloved family.

"Hn. You haven't changed after all." - the bloodthirsty man grumbled, returning to lie down and ignoring the other's presence.

"I think the same doesn't apply to you." - he responded, leaving the room before seeing the murderous look that the irritated Guardian gave him.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The smooth and melodious sound of the piano invaded the halls of the Vongola mansion. Although it was too early to be awake, this soothing and peaceful melody was nice to awake up to in the midst of the turmoil created by recent events. At least that's how it felt for Tsuna as he opened his eyes, still tired and sleepy. After a quick shower and a new suit, the young Tenth headed down the stairs, the gentle music continuously playing in his ears. In his family only two people knew how to play the piano, but only one could play with such intensity. Interestingly this person also held the most explosive temperament among them all, and he was none other than Gokudera Hayato.

The Storm Guardian had recently begun to walk with more irritation and anxiousness, for someone who was screamingly overprotective, this was not normal. Tsuna knew that his health was the real reason for his right arm's agitation. Not only the Storm, but everyone: the Guardians, Dino, Enma - the only one who knew the truth - Reborn - who was reportedly distrustful, as he was having a hard time holding himself back from forcing his student to tell the truth, however, since the Tenth was no longer so dame, and did not fear the threats too much, he confined himself into waiting for Tsuna to make the first move and talk about what was happening - even Byakuran and the newcomer Hibari. Everyone, was in some way affected. And knowing that he was the one making his family suffer, hurt him deeply. Even though he knew that the truth would only worsen the situation and certainly shatter them from the inside.

"Jyuudaime, how long have you been in here?" - Gokudera questioned, realizing his boss' presence, who, was standing in the doorway with his eyes closed.

"I just arrived. The music woke me up." - the Tenth informed him, opening his hazel-brown orbs and giving him a gentle smile.

"Tch! Sorry Jyuudaime. I just couldn't sleep anymore and decided to play a little. If I knew that it would wake you, I would have stayed quiet."

"It's okay, Gokudera. It's much better to wake up to the soothing sounds of the piano than with bullets and Reborn's Leon hammer." - Tsuna commented, walking into the comfortable living room where the black piano was, he chose to sit down in an armchair in front of the Guardian - "Would you mind continuing to play until the others come down?"

"Not if it's a request from Jyuudaime." - the bomber responded with a gentle smile, returning to fingering the piano keys.

Gokudera had thin skillful fingers, which he had inherited from his mother, an accomplished pianist, who also showed him how to play. It was a custom to have small 'concerts' like this for the family once or twice a month. Whenever Tsuna asked him, he would quickly comply. The piano was the same as the one Lavina had taught him to play on. Bianchi had claimed it for him from their father's house but, unlike the time they were in the future, where the piano could be found at the base in Japan, the big black instrument was brought to the mansion about five years ago.

Out of all the times that it rang, his favorite moments were these ones. When only his Jyuudaime could hear it. It was a moment for only them, and although no words were exchanged, it is something that is truly appreciated by Gokudera. Not that Tsuna didn't reserve some of his time to spend with all of his Guardians individually and collectively. Even the aloof Hibari was sometimes dragged to some dinner or even a picnic with the 'family' - although the Guardian spent that time as far away from everyone as possible. It was just that, Tsuna was the sky who held and comforted them all, so, therefore, every moment spent with him was more than precious, and each time was unique.

_"And you never know when the 'sky' will be taken from you..."_ - with the words he had heard from Reborn years ago about the Arcobaleno of the Sky ringing in his mind, Gokudera did something rare - miss a note.

"Gokudera, are you okay?" - Tsuna asked, seeing the sudden arrest after the wrong note.

"Oh, I'm fine, I just missed the last note. Sorry." -The pianist responded quickly, without looking at Tsuna's eyes, something not lost to the hazel-brown orbs of the brunet - "I'll start again from the last part." - He assured, still not facing his friend, picking up from where he had left off, he berated himself for the mistake, after all, his boss shouldn't have to deal with more problems, especially not the fears of his right arm.

In his armchair, Tsuna sighed again.

_It seems like its going to be another long day after all_- he thought, leaning back a little more in the cushion. His Hyper Intuition was beginning to disturb him once again this week.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The sound of the piano reigned through the halls of the mansion for longer than twenty minutes by the time everyone had arisen to have breakfast. Yamamoto was the first to emerge in the cozy room where Tsuna and Gokudera sit, attracted by the familiar fingering of the piano. Then came Fuuta, who sat down beside his Tsuna-nii, and not long after the sweet Chrome timidly joined the group. Lambo was the last, as usual, sleepy and muttering something about 'why do I have to go to school when I've studied most things with Gokudera-shi?' Which earned him a look of disapproval from Gokudera, who had by then already ended the last part of the melody, and a sigh from Tsuna. And so, the group finally headed for the dining room with Tsuna at the front. They were greeted by a solitary figure waiting in the large dining room of the Vongola mansion.

"Oh, Kusakabe nice to see you!" - Yamamoto was the first to call out, as he spotted the right arm of the former mayor, sitting at the table with a strained expression - "Why didn't Hibari go down with you? I went to the infirmary earlier today, but he had already left. I thought he would have shown up for breakfast." - the swordsman said with a smile, while Kusakabe squirmed in his seat, clearly uncomfortable.

"Ah, good morning..." - the man greeted, making a small bow toward everyone, especially Tsuna - "Actually... Kyo-san is very angry at having received help yesterday, and prefers to be alone at the moment." - Kusakabe informed them, unable to disguise the nervousness leaking from his voice.

"Hm, what a pity, I really wanted to hear more about those black flames." - Yamamoto said absently, pulling out the chair from the left side of Tsuna before sitting down.

"Tch! Irritating as always." - Gokudera muttered, taking his usual place beside the Jyuudaime.

_Well, this is Hibari that we are talking about - _Tsuna speculated with an amused smile on his face.

"Sawada-san, Kyo-san wants to warn you that after breakfast he will send the report on the mission as he promised."

"Ah, right. Thanks, Kusakabe-san."

"Tsuna, did you ever talk to Hibari yesterday? Did he say anything about what happened?"

Tsuna observed Yamamoto for a moment while pondering his words. Over the years, the Guardian of the Rain surprised everyone - even Tsuna, who alway_s felt_ that something was wrong with all the smiles and carefree looks from the baseball lover, which were present no matter what the circumstances - when he revealed that he always knew the _mafia_ which Tsuna, Gokudera and the_ kid_ spoke of, was real, and not a game as he often said.

"Ah. I waited in the infirmary until he woke up."

"Jyuudaime, you know you shouldn't be losing sleep!" - Gokudera warned him with a worried expression.

"You sound like Hibari, telling me to go to sleep." - he said calmly, ignoring the shocked looks from Lambo and especially Kusakabe.

"Tch, at least for once that bastard said something useful." - Gokudera grumbled, still not completely quiet.

"Anyway, more on that after I read the report he prepared." - Tsuna continued, receiving a nod of understanding from Gokudera and Yamamoto - "And before I forget. Chrome, can you and Fuuta go along with Lambo to school today?" - he asked, his eyes landing on the other three, whom upon hearing their names, immediately turned their attention to Tsuna.

"Hai, Boss."

"Sure, Tsuna-nii, it will be my pleasure."

"Yare, yare. I had forgotten about that." - Lambo said absently, still a bit sleepy, waking up early was not his forte.

"Sorry, Lambo."

"No problem, Vongola." - The teen reassured, opening a smile to his 'nii-chan.'

"Ah, thank you." - Tsuna appreciated, his lips raised up, forming one of his warm smiles, the same which no doubt would have made a lot of women blush.

It was not long until Pizio emerged from the kitchen, followed by some employees bringing breakfast to 'Cielo-sama'.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"Hibari doesn't talk much, but he certainly knows how to write in abundance." - the Tenth murmured opening a crooked dull smile, loose on his big mahogany table was the report, it was more than fifty pages long, not counting the handwritten notes in a notebook lying next to one of four huge piles of damn paperwork resting defiantly around the table, which he was eagerly trying to ignore.

_Then Alonzo Mantovani was the 'main contact' disappeared with everyone dead in his property, which Kusakabe-san told us about_ - Tsuna contemplated, closing his eyes and leaning back in the black leather chair in his office, while a sigh that could be interpreted as tiredness or irritation, escaped his lips.

Alonzo Mantovani was one of the few businessmen that Tsuna met in the underworld that was really worthwhile to consider as a 'friend'. Although that man also lived immersed in this world of crimes and irregularities, he was fair and always kept his business within the law the most he could. Alonzo was the one entrepreneur in the exporting business that the Tenth had the pleasure of knowing for about four years. During which, the Vongola was still in the transition and adaptation to the new form of leadership that was Tsuna - and still is - determined to deploy within largest Famiglia of the Mafia. The first time they met, the manner and even a little of his appearance had reminded Tsuna of Dino, excluding the brown eyes of the Cavallone boss by gray-green of the other blonde, and beyond the scarce smiles. Mantovani was much more serious and focused than his 'Aniki'.

The two met at a _clean_ meeting - as Reborn usually refers to something that doesn't involve the criminal underworld - among leading business figures that move the economy of Italy. To the outside world Vongola was nothing more than a _large group of companies_ based in countries around the world, strangely having a single _leader_. The meeting was held in Rome, which the Tenth had appeared accompanied by Ryohei and Gokudera - a choice that had miraculously worked out since Ryohei had control of himself throughout the journey. Although Tsuna suspected that the hour long _talk_ behind closed doors between the noisy Guardian, Gokudera and Reborn, had something to do with the sudden stillness of the bright sun of the Vongola. After this first meeting, the young boss and the entrepreneur on the rise, kept in touch. Later on, Alonzo invited him to form a partnership in his latest investment - which was to build a new headquarters for his company in Japan. After evaluating the pros and cons, Tsuna accepted the partnership with a smile, and this lasted until the present day.

_I really wanted to make sure that Alonzo-san was fine, but considering the information that Shiro-chan gave me... I wonder how much it will worsen? -_ Tsuna considered, still leaning back in his chair. Suddenly, Tsuna opened his eyes, a soft orange tone mingling with his brown-hazel - _Looks like I'll have my answer sooner than I expected..._ - he sighed. Standing up, the brunet headed for the dining room before anyone could call him to come. His Hyper Intuition was adding more pressure on his brain and creating a deep uneasy feeling in his stomach.

"Oh, Tsuna?! Are you ready?"

"Boss, we were going to search for you to go to lunch." - Chrome announced, accompanied by a smiling Yamamoto, the two had come from the opposite direction of the hallway, but stopped at the sight of Tsuna, who approached them.

"It seems that I went ahead today." - their boss said, opening one of his warm smiles, which made Chrome blush and find the Portinari painting on the corridor wall really interesting - "I'm sorry. Actually I felt you guys coming toward the office and decided to come join you." - Tsuna said, the only woman among his Guardians, the other half of the Mist Guardian, didn't lose the flush on her face, and upon seeing this, his lips rose up into another smile, which only worsened the red spreading over Chrome's face, Tsuna really didn't how his stunning appearance was and that it could wrest the breath of women.

The trio soon entered the beautiful dining room, which had a large crystal chandelier hanging imposingly over the long table, around which, a still afflicted Kusakabe and Fuuta awaited them.

"Eh?! Gokudera is not here yet?" - asked Yamamoto, walking toward his place.

"Now that you mention it... I didn't see Gokudera for most of the morning." - Tsuna said, he had been lost in thought as he read Hibari's report and notes, and hadn't seen the passage of hours, the brunet had only realized it was lunch time by chance.

"Jyuudaime! Sorry for the delay." - Gokudera apologized as he rushed into the room - "I had to resolve some things with ¹Shibafu's squad leader, since he was in the Varia."

"It's okay, Gokudera." - Tsuna reassured, holding a little more in his look, as he stared at his Guardian of the Storm and faithful right-hand man, his Hyper Intuition was telling him that this wasn't the whole reason for the delay, but knowing Gokudera very well, Tsuna decided to finish the conversation at this point, pressing someone was not always the best way to deal with _some_ situations.

_Indeed, it seems that the answer decided to get here faster than I expected. I wonder what will it be this time?_ - Tsuna regarded with a small sigh escaping his lips.

"Hello, onii-san!" - the brunet greeted, sitting up and turning his gaze to the door, while everyone in the room moved their eyes from their boss to the door.

At the announcement, a tall gray-haired man with a bandage over his nose, entered the room. A big smile adorned his face accompanied by his signature greeting.

"It's extremely good to see you, Sawada!"

"Oi, Shibafu no Atama¹! What are you doing here?" - Gokudera snarled at the arrival of the Guardian of the Sun

"I extremely came to bring news to our boss, Takohead²!" - Ryohei answered bluntly.

_ I expected that. Something very serious must have happened, for Xanxus to send back onii-san during the training of their subordinates._ - Unconsciously, Tsuna begins to massage his temples in a futile attempt to relieve the severe headache forming in his already heavily loaded brain - another habit acquired over the years.

"Onii-san, we'll talk about it after lunch." - warned the Tenth, the look on his face told the Guardians that their precious boss does not want sensitive issues to be discussed lightly, especially during the lunch hour, this fact immediately made everyone move to lighter topics.

With Ryohei settling himself beside Kusakabe, Pizio soon emerged from the kitchen bringing lunch, which, as always was plentiful and tasty. The meal went quiet - or quieter if one were to compare the times when the majority of the Guardians were meeting. Ryohei was telling a little about his days coaching the 'bit extreme' beginners of the Varia in between his heated arguments with Gokudera, who started it by saying, 'stop being annoying by talking about the damn bastards in the Varia'. During this time, Yamamoto tried to stop them from fighting during the meal.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The Guardians present at the mansion - which included Chrome, and excluded the irritated Hibari who sent a nervous Kusakabe to represent him - and Fuuta - who the young boss reluctantly allowed to be present - were all currently gathered in Tsuna's office.

"As you've probably imagined, I was sent by Xanxus with news." - Ryohei started, as soon as Tsuna made the sign to speak - "During this daybreak, seven men of the squad on orders by Leviathan, were attacked during a mission. But the strange thing is that their injuries were similar to Hibari's, according to what Yamamoto described to me. Except for one, all other the injuries were lighter than his, but four did not survive. Also, I had a really difficult time healing those that remained. For those who died, the Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sun had no effect on them." - The boxer informed, with undisguised bitterness.

Silence. A deep weight had fallen on each person, and the deafening silence that came along with it reigned for about a minute in the room. The new information was hammering in the brains of each present in the office. Kusakabe's face took on a new shade of white, one that almost equaled to the face of the young boss, a sickly white, but the right arm of Hibari Kyoya was certainly not sick. Chrome was paralyzed, hardly seeming to breath. Yamamoto's usual joyful expression became cold and his aura started screaming 'danger' as his swordsman half took over his baseball lover side. Tsuna in turn had his expression unreadable, having hidden it under his fluffy brown hair.

"Oi, Shibafu no Atama! What do you mean by the flames of the Sun were not able to cure them?! Among the Vongola you're the one with the biggest and strongest Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sun!" - An exasperated Gokudera exclaimed, apparently the first to drag his brain out of the self-imposed trance.

"Gokudera, calm down. And Ryohei, are you sure about the injuries?"

As they heard Tsuna call the boxer by name, and not the nickname he that always used, with a neutral tone that was eerily quiet, but still heavy, the climate of the room tumbled again; Tsuna was really serious. After all, he only addresses Ryohei in this form when his 'boss mode' was activated followed by another _mode_, which was also very familiar. Turning to the Tenth, it was of no surprise to they to find a flame shining on the forehead of their boss, while, at the same time, his eyes became completely orange- like the pure flame of Sky. The X-Gloves remained the same, but Tsuna had gone into Hyper Mode.

"Jyuudaime..."

"Tsuna..."

About six years ago, two months before assuming control of the Vongola, Tsuna surprised everyone - especially his Spartan tutor, who did not expect his dame-student to be able to do something similar as the Primo. The First, among all the Vongola bosses, had been the only one capable of this feat. During one of many surprises full of torture, which Reborn called 'tests', Tsuna had gone into HDW Mode on his own - this meant without the aid of the special bullets or pills that he had used in the past. The brunet threw himself into the air before a seven ton metal ball landed at the place, where a thousandth of a second before, he had been standing. It was thrown in his direction by a mechanical experiment very similar to a giant catapult, which, his sadistic tutor had _convinced_ Spanner to build. The most remarkable part of all this, was the huge amount of flames and the expansion of time that Tsuna was able to maintain in that shape. The duration of his stay in Hyper Mode had almost doubled, while his flames became even more refined. If this really was impossible to occur, the Tenth Vongola proved otherwise, to the astonishment of the underworld and joy of the Arcobaleno - which he disguised by pulling down his fedora hat. From that time on to the present day, Tsuna had further extended his stay in Hyper Mode.

"I personally checked all the injuries to be sure. One of the wounded died before I even started to heal him. And of them were all strong men, Sawada. Certainly no one came close to Hibari's level, but they couldn't be classified as weak. Before I left the Varia castle, one of those who had been able to escape, mentioned something about a serrated blade and a strange black flame. This was the same weapon used to hurt Hibari, right? Sawada, you are sure that Hibari is okay? "

"Ah. As for this you need not worry. Shamal examined him and said he only lost consciousness due to exhaustion and lack of sleep. Moreover, Hibari left the ward as if nothing had happened." - Tsuna answered in his calm tone.

"Huh, I would still like to see how the wound is, maybe I can finish healing him." - the Sun said casually.

"Sasagawa-san! Please let Kyo-san rest alone for now! Even I want you to finish curing him, I really fear for his safety! Kyo-san is seething with anger! He only allowed Sawada-san to talk to him because he was the reason why we returned to the mansion so suddenly!" - An exasperated Kusakabe exclaimed, finally emerging from his thoughts, his face was still pale, but for a different reason now, the fear of his boss' reaction overwhelmed him, while cold sweat slid down his face.

"I don't see why Hibari wouldn't want to see me." - Ryohei argued, putting his hand to his chin and frowning - "We are extremely friends!" - the dense boxer completed, as if stating something obvious.

"Tch! Leave that bastard alone for now. As Jyuudaime said, he's fine. If you disturb him now, he will certainly get some confusion." - Gokudera reasoned, but inside he thought that the ex-prefect would gladly take out some of his anger on the Shibafu no Atama, injured or not.

"Maa, maa. Sasagawa, Gokudera. This is not the time to be discussing it. Tsuna seems to be focused." - the peaceful Rain said, while launching his thumb back toward his boss, whose expression was once again hidden beneath his brown hair.

"Jyuudaime..." - Gokudera murmured, as everyone turned their eyes to their beloved boss.

_So they decided to start acting more openly. That means that they are either getting careless, or believe they have nothing to fear... Whatever the case, the situation is worsening - _Tsuna gathered his thoughts, while feeling the flames grow and shine even more than before. His determination was visible in his orbs as he found the eyes of his family on him - _Seems that the time for action has arrived._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

¹Turf top, lawn head, etc

²Octopus head

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**Minna-san, do not forget to comment on what you thought of the chapter, I'll love to read what you are thinking about the story!**

Ah, I'm riding the 'soundtrack' of this fanfiction with my Brazilian readers, so I decided to do the same here with you. Leave in the comments or send me a pm with the name of some songs that remind you of this story - and the name of who sings too. I'll download the songs and listen to them and add them to the soundtrack that I hear as I write. Where the song list is ready I will post it in a future chapter. ^ ^

So until the next chapter! Ciao, ciao!


	7. Declaration of War

Ciao minna-san! I'm sorry for the delay in updating!  
So how are their hearts with the end of the manga of KHR? I know I was depressed, but that just gave me more desire to write fanfictions about KHR u.u  
And too, I'm rereading the manga and I'll watch the anime again - for the 3rd time! Also, I hope that the anime will come back and maybe advance the story beyond the point where it stopped. * w *

Anyway, I thank everyone who has taken the time to read and comment my two fanfics, you are my joy! And a big thank you to my amazing beta, Tora-chan83 for helping me! Without her I would not be posting my stories.  
Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** KHR belongs to Akira Amano-sensei, only the plot is mine!

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**Declaration of War**

Unlike most days, Giotto woke up much earlier than usual. Not that he had the habit of sleeping in, he had lost that a long ago. Having accustomed during the time when Sicily was not the most quiet place for a child to rest, not with so many robberies, murders, kidnappings and the whole host of crimes that one could only imagine happening outside the window. After all, his beloved city had been, for many years, the preferred place for robbers and murderers. This time though, Giotto awoke to a tingling sensation followed by a feeling that his brain was being kicked, while voids formed in his stomach. It was a feeling that he had long understood what it meant: something bad was coming.

_What will it be this time?_ - the blonde thought, while massaging his temples in a futile attempt to relieve the pain forming in his head. He was absolutely certain that it would only get worse during the day. It had been four days since he gave the order to his six Guardians to begin investigating and gathering any information that could lead them to those responsible for the atrocities committed against the inhabitants of the region. Four days in which he was expelled out of his sleep by the same feeling - sometimes Giotto curses at having an intuition so _Hyper_. Although his Guardians were alert to any clues that could help them, little or nothing had been found, which only immersed his mood further into the waters of irritation.

The handsome man rose from his bed in the not completely finished Vongola mansion - a pejorative nickname given to his _vigilante group_ at the time it was in formation. Giotto had also decided to keep the name as a reminder to everyone that even something small was capable of great things. After all, nobody believed that a small group of _clams_ could go against criminals and succeed - Primo jolted out of his musings when he realized that the sun was just beginning to rise. Restlessly, he changed his clothes of sleep to a suit and walked out of the room.

_Perhaps Ugetsu or Knuckle are already awake..._ - with that thought in mind Giotto started to wander the aisles. But his Hyper Intuition persisted in disturbing him, making the discomfort in his body much greater. At the same time, a strange presence from the direction of the main gate of the mansion crossed his senses. - _Invaders!_ - as soon as the thought arose in his mind, he ran down the hall while putting on his gloves and jumped out the nearest window. On his forehead an orange flame came to life, while his fists were surrounded by bright Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sky. Gaining height, he runs his eyes around the property. However, once his figure emerged flaming across the sky, the presence disappeared among the trees of the dense forest that surrounded them. Before he could cogitate the idea of pursuing the intruders into the forest, something else caught his attention.

_But what in the world..._ - Primo thought, landing near the gate. His eyes widened considerably as he got closer.

"Primo!" - G's voice echoed throughout the garden, the slightly pink haired man came running to the gate with a revolver in hand, followed closely by Ugetsu carrying a long katana, Knuckle and a sleepy Lampo, who had woken to an angry G screaming in corridors that Primo was flying outside the mansion.

"Dear God!" - Knuckle exclaimed when they joined their boss.

"Primo what happened?" - asked a worried Ugetsu still on guard although the hostile aura could no longer be felt.

"Geh!? Why is that the first thing I see after waking up is a pile of peasant bodies." - Lampo whined, grimacing with a curious mixture of fear and disgust.

"I felt a strange hostile presence so I came out to check, and this was what I found." - Giotto explained, his eyes still fixed on the various bodies piled up before the great gate of the mansion, the flame of his Hyper Mode slowly extinguishing.

"They're all dead." - informed Knuckle, after checking the last of the eight bodies lying on the floor, with the finding, a shadow hung over Giotto's beautiful face.

"Primo you know what that means." - the look on the Guardian of the Storm was noticeably darker, which meant that someone would seriously regret for this stupid action.

"Ah. Vongola has just received a _declaration of war_." - His eyes, usually a soft orange hue, burned with a strong orange tone in response to his determination.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~І~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The Guardian of the Storm, childhood friend of Giotto, and also the right-hand man of the Vongola Primo, crossed the somewhat narrow alleys as he headed towards the city center. It was still early, but many people were already crowding the cobblestone streets, coming and going in directions that G simply ignored. He had a mission to accomplish, though he personally found it irritant. But, since it was the Primo who gave him such a task, he will not back down. A few more steps forward and bending a corner, he was faced with his goal, the building with four floors in neutral tones; the location of the CEDEF headquarters. G had to admit, for someone who truly hated being around other people in 'agglomeration', Alaude picked a place that went completely against his aversion to crowds. The building was located near the city center, precisely in the busiest area, Palermo.

G shook his head slightly to ward off thoughts about the 'law enforcer' that ironically adhered with the one now called, _Famiglia of the Cosa Nostra_ - or simply the Mafia. As some have begun to refer to these large Famiglias with military power, a nickname that stripped Primo of his nerves. That was a rare thing to happen with the boss' calm and patient temperament. Alaude among all the 'Guardians', as Primo chose to refer to the six who assist in command of the Vongola, was undoubtedly the most difficult to handle. Aloof and a loner by nature, he fit perfectly with the ring of the Cloud, which he received to assume his position as a Guardian. It was actually quite surprising that he accepted Primo's proposal. After leaving his old _job_, he moved from France to Italy and, almost simultaneously with the emergence of the properly named Vongola, founded the CEDEF that directly or indirectly helped them along the years - a fact that even G was not able to deny.

Ignoring the stares that were launched by people around him, whether it was by the residents or the subordinates of Alaude leaving the building for a mission, the right hand man entered the small hall of the External Council headquarters. Without giving any satisfaction at the ease he was able to enter with, he climbed the wooden stairs that lead to the top floor. In the process of passing other members of the Council, he noticed that all were wearing an apprehensive expression and some were clearly afraid, indicating that the _carnivore_ inside the room at the end of the corridor was in a bad humor. Not that Alaude had something that could be called 'good humor'. Even pulling forward all of the memories about the Guardian, G cannot remember even one in which he appeared grinning, let alone laughing. But this time, his temperament seemed to be worse than it already was. And yet, without thinking twice, G threw open the door without bothering to knock. With the door out of the way, an airy office was revealed in muted tones of beige, with some piles of papers perfectly arranged on a table located in the center of the room near a large window.

"What you want now?" - growled the platinum blonde without lifting his clear blue orbs off of the documents in his hand, making it clear that the presence of the other was not welcomed in his office.

G looked around for a second, taking a breath in an attempt to keep his own temper under control, after all, his guess about Alaude's humor - or lack of it - was right. He was colder than usual, not that his choice to enter without permission helped improve the situation. But, the Storm had a damn job to do and had no patience to endure the iceberg that was his Guardian partner.

"That stupid _Famiglia_ piled the bodies of some residents who went missing, at the front gate of the mansion earlier today and _Primo_ found them." - the right hand man stated, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked at the other.

If the news affected Alaude, he did not show it. A fact that made G's already latent level of irritation increase higher. Certainly entrusting him with this irritating task was the way Giotto subtly had revenge on him for hiding his _precious cakes_ last week. This was after finding him eating _again_ instead of doing his damn paperwork. Even with that sweet smile and gentle air, the blonde knew when to be bitter, especially if his addiction to sweet things was involved - something that G hoped with all his heart doesn't become a hereditary trait, or else future generations will be in serious trouble.

"So, that's the reason why you invaded my office." - Alaude indifferently mumbled, eyes still fixed on the handful of papers that he was reading.

"Tch! You should know very well what something like this means." - the hot headed man growled in response, staring at him with a frown, even that bastard cannot be truly indifferent to what happened.

"Hn. A serious breach of the law." - the other responded, finally deigning to look to G, his eyes which were always sharp, seemed more menacing than usual.

"Ah. Primo is calling all the Guardians to a meeting tonight." - G warned heading for the door - "And, Alaude, Primo is _really_angry." - he added before leaving the office without glancing back, the look of the CEDEF boss narrowed dangerously at the last remark, soon someone will feel the wrath of his handcuffs.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~І~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

After G left the cold and distant Cloud behind, he went to find the other missing person to end the other part of his damn mission so he could return to the mansion. If Alaude was the most difficult to cope by always preferring to stay away, the most annoying to live with, no doubt, was Daemon Spade. Even the spoiled Lampo was not able to annoy him as much as the crafty and arrogant Guardian of the Mist. When the aristocrat had joined the family, which occurred about four months after Alaude joined, - something that resulted in Giotto getting some concussions and injuries throughout his body - G had the feeling that Primo had found yet another strange figure to occupy the position that was missing to complete his Guardians. After all, Primo had already accepted a music lover, who, despite looking quiet and apparently harmless, is the greatest swordsman who ever lived, a celibate, who is actually an undefeated boxer who gave up boxing after accidentally killing his last opponent, a fearful brat, that Giotto somehow forced to assume the front line in battles, and finally, the former boss of an intelligence agency that personally ignores everyone around him. But his blind devotion, that sometimes clashed with the Primo's ideals - which was the same thing that united all of the other Guardians and was the real reason for the Vongola to be created - along with Daemon's personality, which, with the passage of years had increasingly become sadistic and cruel, his patience had begun to erode in a way that sometimes cost him all his self-control not to use Daemon as target practice with the bow that Giotto gave him.

Apparently unconcerned, G walked the alleys that led to the house where Daemon lived, located further north from the city center. Surely riding along the way instead of letting the animal rest in Paolo's stable would have been the best choice to travel the long distance in a short time. But the Storm Guardian preferred to walk among the population, and perhaps collect some information that might help them identify the damn Famiglia who decided to declare war against Vongola, and who were taking Primo of his nerves. In all the years that he had known him, the pinkish redhead seldom saw Giotto so agitated. His childhood friend, and now his precious boss, above all hated to see innocent people become victims of violence created by unscrupulous Famiglias who do not care one whit about the lives they destroy while they pursue their own goals. That was why the Vongola was created, to protect people, not hurt them.

It had only been a few minutes after G left the building of the CEDEF, when the sound of gunfire followed by screams reached his ears. Without hesitation, he ran toward the direction where the noise could be heard the loudest, immediately taking out the inside coat pocket revolver that he always carries with him - a caution that he began to take since the vigilante group expanded and started to attract the attention of the higher _fishes_ - It was something that had not only saved his life, but Giotto's as well, since at the time the blonde did not use his flames to protect himself.

Running through the narrow streets and going through the grocery store, which was an acquaintance of the Famiglia, he was guided by the continuous sound of gunfire. When G arrived at the scene, he sees what is causing all the commotion. Running is a desperate man in his fifties in clothes that was something like a slightly torn lab coat and dark trousers, and a foot without shoe, which must have been lost while he was fleeing from the thugs. G couldn't see his face clearly, but he knew that the band of men armed knives currently had swords in a European style - living with Ugetsu helped him get to know different types of blades and fighting styles using such weapons - or revolvers, from which of course came the sound of shots. That, and them chasing the man, he was clearly able to see. When it came to fights among Famiglias of the Cosa Nostra, what prevails is the rule of 'shoot first and ask questions later'. With this in mind, the Vongola Guardian targeted the leg of one of the five armed thugs chasing the unknown man, and shoots. Immediately, the wounded stalker fell to the ground clutching his left leg where the blood had started to leak and stain the trouser, the red liquid quickly reaching the stones of the street.

Decreasing the distance between him and the bandits, G fired a few more shots, precisely hitting three different targets, two in the arms and one in leg. Remaining were only one of the men armed with revolvers, and four with short-range weapons. The pursuers had only realized they were under attack when the third person of the group fell to the ground holding his bleeding arm, while his gun flew out after falling from his hand. Instantly the group took a more defensive posture, and yet another was shot. Searching for the 'unfortunate' who was making them a target, a glimpse of faded hair in a tone nor red or pink, was all that they saw before another shot overthrew the last carrying a firearm between them.

Using the butt of his revolver, G reached one of the two pursuers who used knives as weapons. Inevitably, the man collapsed unconscious on the ground like a sack of rotten potatoes, the same way the other five that were struck before fell. Having no time to divert, the Guardian used the barrel of the gun to block the blade of the sword that had his chest as it's target. A well-aimed kick in the gut sent the swordsman stumbling backward. Without leaving the man to recover, G again used the butt of his revolver to hit the head of the swordsman, leaving him unconscious. The sound of a chain moving in his direction allowed G to deviate from his attacker while sinking his fist into the face of another user of knives that was sneaking up behind his back, ready to stab him. The sound of bones being broken told the Vongola's Storm guardian that his opponent would have a hard time later as his nose was broken. But even with his face bleeding, the man stripped the inside of the coat for another knife. An action which promptly sent G flying at him with a kick, ending with another punch in the same place where he had earlier struck. With a grunt, the man fell to the floor unconscious. Even before the guardian could take a breath, he hears the sound of a chain again, this time much closer to his left ear. G dodged to the right, then, with a spin, dipped his foot in the stomach of the last enemy, who started to foam in the mouth as he dropped to the floor.

"Tch! This was a tremendous waste of time." - G muttered, looking at the pile of unconscious men scattered around while straightening his clothes.

Suddenly the familiar sound of a safety lock being removed, coming his back, brought a chill as one thought goes through his mind _'had another hidden'_. Before G had time to turn himself around, another very familiar pair of sounds reached his ears - one of handcuffs and breaking bones.

"You're being careless, G."

The Guardian of the Storm was not able to keep a small sigh of relief from escaping his lips while he turned to face the newcomer. Stopped at the end of the street was none other than the lone Cloud.

"And you're late. This area is yours, after all it's close to the CEDEF." - the Storm retorted, assuming his firm stance again, losing his composure never resulted in something good.

"Hn. That's why I'm here." - the other grumbled, he held two pairs of handcuffs, one attached around the neck of the same man who had targeted G, now with a broken arm and passed out, and the other around the wrists of a shivering man wearing a tattered lab coat.

It took a millisecond for to G add 2 and 2 and deduce that the other man who Alaude handcuffed was the same he saw being chased, and had temporarily forgotten during the brief fight. The chased must have used his attack to escape and ended up cornered by _another hunter_, this time a much more dangerous one.

"Seems I owe you one." - G grumbled finally and unwillingly.

"I do not need your gratitude, but certainly I'll charge for the help." - Alaude responded, while multiplying his handcuffs with the Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Cloud and arresting the unconscious thugs.

"So, what will you do with them?" - G asked, already imagining the answer, his head pointed toward the newly captured while trying to keep his, again increasing, irritation under control.

"Interrogation." - The CEDEF leader answered bluntly, already walking back to the headquarters of the External Council as if he wasn't dragging two men, though one was conscious, scared and walking obediently, while the other was literally dragged over the stones.

"What about the others? I imagine that you will also interrogate them."

"I'll have someone come seeking them. Anyone who breaks the laws should be duly punished."

"See if you can take easy, Primo does not like to use violence without need." G grumbled, facing Alaude.

"I suppose you still have to warn Daemon Spade." - the platinum blonde retorted, disappearing when he turned the corner.

"Tch!" - The right hand man growled as he resumed his original mission to warn the melon illusionist on the meeting - "But what ... That idiot with the sword almost cut my new shirt, moreover, now I am indebted to _this bastard_!" - G mumbled, closing his hands into fists - "When all of this is over, I'll make sure that Primo will be busy with the damn paperwork for a long time!" - At the same time a certain blonde sneezed in the Vongola mansion, dismissing it as one of his guardians, probably G he concluded, cursing him, with that being said, the tattooed man also disappeared into another alley.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~І~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"Armed men were chasing someone through the city." - Giotto repeated the information that G had just said to him, with a straight face - "Are you sure that the man arrested by Alaude was the same about to be persecuted?" - Primo asked, his eyes fixed on the face of his right arm.

"Ah. Although I could not see very well what his face was like while he fled, the clothes and the physique are undoubtedly the same. And now that I think better about this, after Alaude arrested him and I was able to get a better look, the man is definitely not Italian. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say he's English." - G answered, while recalling the image with the face of the man being chased.

"What would an English scientist be doing here to be extremely chased?" - Knuckle asked thoughtfully, besides him, Lampo and Ugetsu were also currently meeting in the Primo's office since G returned.

"I think the question should be 'to whom he was working for and what was the research." - reformulated Giotto, sitting in his leather chair.

"Primo, do you think the scientist may be involved with the recent deaths?" - Ugetsu questioned, his always calm tone leaking a bit of concern.

"I do not know. But if Alaude took him, then we will get some answers. Although I really regret doing so, poor man." - Giotto said, loosening a sigh.

"Geh! Alaude will _interrogate him_?!" - Lampo whimpered, starting a cold sweat at the idea of 'interrogation' from the most fearsome Guardian of the Vongola.

Although Primo deeply despises unnecessary acts of violence, all of them knew that Alaude, and sometimes Daemon, use little _gentle_ methods to obtain information from their enemies, after all, dealing with criminals is not something that can be taken lightly. But this did not prevent Giotto to disapprove the actions taken by his two problematic Guardians, something that him annoyed a lot.

"I warned him to take it easy, but knowing that bastard, I doubt that he will listen." - G muttered with a frown.

"Whatever works." - Primo repeated while another sigh escaped his lips, it was one of the favorite phrases of his Cloud, along with 'I will punish/arrest him for disturbing the peace'.

"Maa, maa. I'm sure that Alaude will not do anything unnecessary, especially if the man cooperates during interrogation." - Ugetsu tried to wash away the mood, something that he had done with greater frequency since the tense situation began days before.

"Ugetsu is right, Primo. Alaude is a man of the law after all." - Knuckle said, sitting next to Lampo.

"Oh, you're right. But anyway, I still want to talk to the scientist, my intuition can find the things he can hide from Alaude. Also, if he really is involved with all these deaths, I want to look into his eyes before delivering him to Vindice."

With the last comment, four pairs of eyes turned to Giotto. Yes, how could they forget about _them_? Since the Cosa Nostra began to spread, _they_ appeared to put some order in the underworld, as the police were unable to go against such a powerful force, also beginning to be known as Mafia. _They_ are known to apply the laws in the dark side of society. Known as the Vindice, the infamous guards of the most terrible prison existing, Vindicare, the same from which no one has ever escaped from. And if tried, they were mercilessly punished. After all, nobody gets away with, unharmed or alive depending on the situation, a confrontation with these aberrations, which many say are not even human.

"Primo, then you..." – G said.

"Ah. I certainly will deliver them to Vindice. I cannot forgive something like that. And much less have any of you bloodstained taking the lives of these monsters." - the blonde responded while his orbs gained an intense orange color.

"I expected nothing less extreme of Primo!" - Knuckle commented.

"Vindice, Vindicare ... Scary!" - Lampo groaned, wincing a little.

"Tch! Stop being a coward and go back to doing your job." - G growled while launching an angry look at the youngest among them - "Speaking of work." - he turned to face the beautiful face of his boss with a sharp look - "Primo, when this whole situation is resolved, you and I will have a conversation" – the Storm said with a frown, receiving an innocent look and a sweet smile from the blonde - "Don't play dumb. You and I both know very well that the idea of sending me on that stupid mission as your spokesman for those two bastards was retaliation because of your damn cakes!"

"I swear I do not know what you're talking about, _G_." - Primo pronounced the name of the other with a load of undisguised malice, receiving a growl from the Guardian.

"Haaah, looks like it will start again." - mumbled Lampo, receiving a venomous look from G - "Geh! Scary."

"Maa, maa, Lampo. You shouldn't provoke G that way." - warned Ugetsu.

"Besides, we all extremely knew that something would happen when G got rid of Primo's favorite cakes last week." - Knuckle commented.

The three sigh as they watch a huffing G leave the office, and the Primo dropping a small victorious laughter. Of course everyone already knew what would result from this little _dispute_ between the two - something that has been happening for a long time with some frequency. G would find some way to clog Primo's desk with more damn paperwork while Giotto would find another place to hide his cakes safely away from the claws of his right arm.

Well, after all, this was the Primo's Famiglia.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~І~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The room was poorly lit by a single gas lamp, which casted eerie shadows on the walls. The dense air further increases the feeling of claustrophobia within the room. A killer aura grew as it emanated from a platinum-blonde with dangerous light blue eyes. He sat at a table looking at the prey in front of him, which only worsen the chills running through the body of the _prey_in question.

Alaude observed man. Emerged in his hair were silver threads among brown hair, and he was shaking while trying not to look him in the eye. An expression of fear dominated his face, which was somewhat squared and bruised - the most part he had caused. He had left the man for the end so that the chances of smacking him more would be smaller - and to avoid the _irritant_task of having to wake him every time he lost consciousness. The platinum blonde had relieved much of his irritation from the other ten unfortunate, nine of which G had previous care. They had dared cause confusion in the vicinity of his beloved CEDEF - in other words, right under his nose. Once having gone through them though, with little or no information received. All the worthless lawbreakers knew was that a tall man with a scar on his right eye had hired them in a bar to end the lives of some prisoners in exchange for a large sum of money.

The Cloud frowned a little, something that immediately gave him an even more intimidating expression - if that really was possible. The poor handcuffed man in the chair in front of him, apparently could tell his displeasure as he had curled up and dropped a little moan. He interpreted this as fear because he had not truly _punished him_. Considering that he had two possible broken ribs and his left cheek was swollen, his appearance in his list counted as a light punishment. As this was going on, the guardian evaluated the information he had already extracted from the offender. The man, Stuart McCain, an _illegal_Englishimmigrant, had come by on a ship from England to Italy about four weeks earlier to help an old friend with research. What he did not expect was to find himself a prisoner along with seven other scientists who were also working on the research, and to discover that his friend was killed a few days before his arrival. And then, by an oversight of one of the guards, while supposedly being transported to another laboratory, the man of 56 years managed to escape, but soon was eventually discovered and pursued.

"The research, what is it?" - Alaude asked in a cold tone, speaking in perfect English, the scientist's nervousness made him delete from his mind everything he knew about the Italian language and he was a complete stranger to French.

"N-not really sure. It's something about a type of energy that runs through the body of humans and can be embodied as an outside call. Or so Hudson believed." - the scientist responded skeptically, although he was still afraid of the man holding him captive.

Alaude raised an eyebrow at the comment, because the _energy_ which the scientist was referring to was certainly the Shinu Ki no Honoo, as Primo named it. Something that he, the other Guardians and his irritant _boss_, use during their battles due to the Vongola rings, which the Primo gave to each one. Just the Primo's Famiglia was able to use this super condensed energy around the underworld - and only Giotto himself could use these flames in a more advanced way, which he named Hyper Mode. So it was of no surprise that others Famiglias were desperate to get their hands on that power. But so far, nobody has been able to achieve such a feat.

"And?"

Stuart stared at him stupidly, as if he did not understand what his interrogator wanted. His mind was already disturbed and the fatigue combined with pain were not making things easier. Moreover, the figure sitting across from him, staring at him like a hunter watching his prey, just made him even more nervous.

"That's all you know?" - Alaude mumbled again, sounding even harsher.

"N-no. I saw a small part of the research, it seemed quite interesting b-but also very dangerous. T-they wanted to improve this energy to make it even more intense and form something like an army... I'm not sure about the applications, but I think that's for this."

"Why is it dangerous?" - The law enforcer asked as he sees the man beginning to wander in his thoughts again.

His answer was the man's already pale face becoming a sickly tone, while his eyes became dim, almost lifeless. A fist clashing violently into his stomach makes him come back to reality. The scientist was reminded that he was facing a dangerous predator that would not save a second thought about sending him with a one way ticket to the heaven, or hell, if he did not prove himself useful.

"Answer." - Even though Sicily was in the middle of spring, the temperature inside the room dropped vertiginously every time the Guardian did not like his response, or worse, doesn't receive one.

"Some... Some human guinea pigs that I saw being used during experiments... T-they died. And I think they were not the first." - the last part was spoken in a small voice, but the trained ears of the Guardian was able to catch it.

"How?"

Again the only answer was silence followed by the same expression of moments before. This expected reaction began to erode the patience of Alaude, after all, he had been questioning for almost twenty minutes.

"The energy that you mentioned." - he pressed through gritted teeth, a bright purple flame emanating from the Cloud Vongola ring, swallowed the room - "Would it be like this?"

Once the flame engulfed the room, the brightness returned to the scientist's eyes, but this time it was one that was mixed with fear and admiration.

"How?" - Stuart couldn't stop himself from questioning.

Irritation popped into the skylark's mind. He was the only one who was able to ask questions, not the one who was supposed to respond. Immediately, the flames surround the handcuffs in his hand and are thrown toward the neck of the scientist who watched in horror as the handcuffs expanded and start pressing his neck. He instantly began to feel the air disappear.

"I do not like repeating myself. So next time you do not answer my question." - another handcuff involved Stuart's left wrist - "I'll make some of your bones unusable." - Goggling, the scientist immediately nodded in understanding, if Alaude smiled, it would certainly be at times like these.

"The energy... That they produce is not so clear, it…" - the man choked out, while trying to catch his breath - "It is darker, almost ... No, it is black. And it seems ... It seems more destructive, it burned until the human guinea pigs could no longer support it and died." - With that commentary said, Alaude erased his flames, cold eyes dangerously narrow on the frightened figure before him.

"And about the lab, do you know something that might lead me to the location?"

"I-I am not sure. When I arrived at the seaport I was approached by a tall man with a scar that cut his right eye. H-he said that Hudson had him sent in his place to fetch me. We got into a carriage and he said he had to blindfold me because the place where we were going was a secret." - Stuart responded with his hoarse voice, shivering even more.

"So you do not know anything, I was just wasting my time." - the Cloud mumbled, taking another pair of handcuffs from a pocket, a vision that made the man shiver to the point where he almost peed himself.

"I-I remember hearing the sound of a river for much of the way. We were out of town and near the river. I think was around north."

"North?"

"It looked like a forest because it was colder and I could hear the sounds of trees and the road was relatively poorer..." - he responded with fear to face the figure before him.

Alaude launched one last glance at the man before leaving the room ,and the scientist alone, confused, scared and still handcuffed to the chair. The lawbreaker told him more information than they were able to find in four days of investigations throughout the city. Killing him would be unproductive, after all, he could still be used as source of information. Moreover, a certain blonde _boss_ was already _irritated_enough with all the deaths of innocent civilians, so to have his Guardians add even more corpses to the pile would certainly not help to assuage his anger.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~І~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"Nufufufu, this is something interesting that the skylark found." - Daemon signature laughter filled the meeting room, where Giotto and the six guardians were gathered, getting a sharp look from Alaude.

The news that some Famiglia were kidnapping the locals to use them as guinea pigs in experiments where they are forced to emit a strange kind of flames that, in the process, ended with consuming their lives, dropped like a bombshell in the ears of Giotto and the other Guardians.

"How cruel!" - Ugetsu murmured, very shocked that such a thing was happening .

"May God have mercy on these poor suffering souls." - Knuckle said while doing a little prayer.

"Tch! Those damn bastards!" - Growled G.

"Scary."

"Whatever. Now all we have to do is find the man with the scar on his right eye and force him to talk. Speaking of force. To obtain such information the skylark must have very much tortured the _poor_scientist." - the Mist drawled in a poisonous tone, facing Alaude who sat the farthest away of everyone on the other end of the table.

"Take care of your own businesses, Daemon Spade." - the French man responded harshly without sparing a glance to the other.

"Nufufufu. So what do you think of betting on who finds the _'damn bastard'_, as G says first. Alaude?" - Spade asked, narrowing his eyes toward the other.

"Betting is against the law."

"Oya! How boring you are, sir law enforcer." - the illusionist groaned, grimacing at the indifferent Cloud Guardian.

"Daemon."

The voice in a warning tone, flooded the room. Giotto, who so far had remained completely silent with his face hidden beneath his fluffy blonde hair, had finally emerged out of his thoughts with a serious look.

"Nufufufu as you wish, Primo. But I maintain my position that we must put an end to this Famiglia who dared to challenge us."

"Tch! For once I agree with Daemon." - G muttered, returning his gaze to Giotto - "We cannot allow these bastards to continue challenging us and hurting people."

"Ah, G and Daemon are extremely certain."

"Ore-sama would rather not get involved with such dangerous people."

"Nufufufu, which is very cowardly of you." - Daemon commented with a darker tone, pulling a shiver down Lampo's spine.

"Primo, what do we do?" - Ugetsu questioned.

Giotto observed them for a few more seconds, an irritated sigh leaking from his lips.

_So that was why my intuition was so uncontrolled during recent days... Flames that do not fit into any element of the Sky or Earth... We must be vigilant about it, I get the feeling that there are more moving in the shadows then what we are currently able to see._

"Alaude, I want to talk to this scientist, I have some questions and maybe he can help me clarify them." - the Guardian mentioned limited himself a 'Hn' in agreement - "Daemon, I will leave in your hands the mission to find and capture the man with the scar, but Alaude will be the one who will interrogate him." - Daemon narrowed his eyes at the Primo's order, allowing another person to interrogate his target was not part of his plans.

"Nufufufu, at least I'll be able to have some fun." - the creepy man commented with his laughter, sounding even more daunting.

"Ugetsu and Knuckle I need you to keep an eye on the surroundings. In addition, warn the residents to report anything suspicious on sight." - the two beckon in understanding - "Lampo, I have a special mission for you." - the mentioned Guardian groaned at the idea of the 'special mission' that Primo may have, they usually made him tremble in fear - "G, schedule a reunion with our allied Famiglias, since the Vongola has received a declaration of war, we must be certain of who is on our side, and warn them about possible attacks. And Alaude, I have a different mission for you too." - with the warning, the indifferent Cloud eyes narrowed at his _boss_.

After the distribution of orders, all dispersed to fulfill them. Needless to say, Daemon was more excited with the idea of being able to test a new technique that he had been practicing when _G invaded_ his property. Something that generated a few holes in the walls his house, courtesy of a certain Guardian of the Storm who was irritated with being used as a guinea pig by the _melon king_.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~І~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

He had his characteristic clothes on, a suit with vertical stripes and his cloak, which made his, slightly above average height and not very muscular, figure even more impressive than it already was. It was something that he only wore at specific times, and it was one of those occasions that he was attending now- a meeting with the leaders of the Vongola alliance. With everything in place, Primo took his place at the end of the table, and thus the meeting opened.

"As G previously informed you, yesterday the Vongola received a declaration of war from a Famiglia that has not yet had the courage to identify themselves, but was foolish enough to put people's lives in danger." - the Primo informed in a cold neutral tone without even being in Hyper Mode.

A brief murmur circulated among people in the room, which Primo noted with watchful eyes.

"Primo, do you have some information that can point to a suspect Famiglia?" - The first to comment was Dominic, the boss of the Cavallone Famiglia, which appeared almost at the same time as when the Vongola was formed, he was also a close friend of Giotto.

"Alaude recently obtained information that indicates a direction, but the culprits still remain in the shadows."

While Primo discussed possible measures to be taken before the situation in Vongola went too far, and clarified some points about what had already been discovered - being careful not to leak some information that he believed should not be known by everyone, G observed the members present in the meeting room, which was mounted in the building located two blocks away from the seat of CEDEF, above the restaurant of a friend who, with a smile, always assisted whenever Primo asked for help. After all, since the Vongola was created six years ago, the climate of insecurity in the region was replaced by smiles on the faces of the population. The same smiles that are currently being threatened.

The first that G's reddish orbs observed, was also a close friend, the cousin of the head of the Cavallone Famiglia. It is not difficult to understand why Giotto considered him a precious friend; Dominic was a man who had principles very similar to Primo's, as he was fair and did not like to see innocent people involved in issues of the Cosa Nostra. The brown-eyed blonde was also strong and conducted business in the underworld as clean as possible. Their Famiglia was formed some five months after the Vongola, and his first act was to form an alliance with Giotto in one vote of mutual cooperation and friendship. Needless to say, this attitude made the man fall into the graces of Primo almost as soon as a certain ruby eyed redhead, who goes by the name of Cozart.

"Primo you suggest that even among us, any may be helping the Famiglia seeking to provoke the power of the Vongola?"

G immediately turned his attention to the man trying in vain to press the Primo. He was the boss of an emerging Famiglia, an irritant type with an air of arrogance and eyes full of greed. It was reasonable to say that so far, G could not understand why Giotto agreed to form an alliance with someone whose business in the underworld were quite dubious. But again, G knew better than anyone that his childhood friend had a damn accurate intuition that left no room for questioning.

"I'm not suggesting anything, just pointing out facts. If this Famiglia is bringing scientists from abroad, they should be getting help from someone here with access to the seaport." - Giotto's tone of voice made the room temperature drop.

"Primo are you implying that one of the two Famiglias, naming the Fassoni and Curzio Famiglias, whose territories lie on the outskirts of the port, are directly or indirectly responsible for what is happening?"

G intensified his grimace while launching a venomous look to the boss, whose Famiglia maintained a precarious alliance with the Vongola, his hair the color of lead and onyx eyes, which insisted on challenging Primo.

"Lycus Beluzzo, I suggest you be careful with your words. At no time did I accuse someone. For even if those responsible for this monstrosity are receiving help in transporting illegal immigrants to Sicily, it does not mean that the mentioned Famiglias are involved. We all know that a purse full of coins can make anyone not connected, or not faithful to a Famiglia, in order to help in dirty business." - Primo rebuked, narrowing his orbs, now bathed in a vibrant shade of orange directed to the naughty boss, who finally made the wise decision to stop provoking Giotto - "Now, if someone else does not have anything to say about the matter, I finish this meeting. Pass well, gentlemen."

"Tch! That annoying bastard, trying to put the Vongola against the neutral Famiglias!" - G growled, while the two headed to the headquarters of CEDEF - "But I'm surprised he has finally begun to show his true personality. That worm seemed pretty happy with what is happening."

"Ah. That's why I asked for Alaude to keep a watchful eye on everything that the Beluzzo Famiglia is doing."

"As expected from Primo." - his right hand man commented upon entering the building.

_Now, all that remains is to be attentive, and therefore, since the cards are arranged, it's just a matter of time before we catch the culprit. The Vongola will not back down._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~І~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

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Minna-san, I'll wait to your comments! Tell me what you thought of this chapter entirely on the Primo family. Tell me your theories on the plot of the story!

And I'm still doing the soundtrack Cielo, then send me the songs that you think is the 'face' of this story!

Ah, soon my dear beta fix my mistakes I'll update Vongola Sky!  
Ciao, ciao!


	8. End of Prelude

Ciao, minna-san! It's been a while since I update and I'm sorry!  
Anyway, I thank everyone who has taken the time to read and comment my two fanfics, you are my joy! And a big thank you to my amazing beta, Tora-chan83 for helping me! Without her I would not be posting my stories.  
Ah, Happy New Year guys!  
Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** KHR belongs to Akira Amano-sensei, only the plot is mine!

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**End of Prelude**

One month and three weeks before...

It was just a meeting, only one more annoying meeting among Famiglias, Tsuna thought like a mantra. Ironically, for the tenth time, Tsuna had to resist the urge to rub his temples. His hazel-brown orbs once again snuck a look at the clock on the wall at the back of the meeting room, which was currently in the hotel at downtown Palermo where they frequently occupied for such events. Little had passed of the 17 hours, and yet Tsuna felt as if the day was terribly long. His Hyper Intuition kicking his head and cutting holes in his stomach - figuratively of course - from the time he woke, was not helping to alleviate his mood. Added on to that, was the meeting that has been going on for over an hour and half, steadily grinding his patience.

Standing on the right side, a little further behind Tsuna, Gokudera passed a merciful look to his precious Jyuudaime. The naturally powerful aura emanating from the young Don's body in increasing amounts was a clear sign that all the Guardians already knew about - their boss was getting impatient and irritated. Which was to be expected, after all, the three Famiglias - Carbo, Disaro, and the latest to enter into an alliance with the Vongola, Nocera - represented by their respective heads, Muzio Carbo the Terzo Boss, Orazio Disaro the Fifth Boss of the Famiglia, and the only woman in the room - since Chrome was outside in the corridor, presently with Hibari, who for some unknown reason had decided to come with them - Adalina Nocera, the Secondo to lead the Famiglia, were currently arguing about trifles. Their squabbled over the increase in recent importation of goods, which were already produced in the region, and how investing in the expansion of the port will affect them in short and long term. It was not in vain that Hibari walked out twenty minutes after the start of the meeting, muttering something about 'excess of herbivores.' Though Gokudera had to admit the fact that the solitary Cloud, who loves to bite people to death, survived so long in 'agglomeration' and left the room without sending someone in a state between life and death to the hospital, deserved recognition. And, of course, the brightness of the warning that Jyuudaime launched toward the former mayor had nothing to do with it.

"If these are all of the claims, I will look into the matter and seek a possible solution. But keep in mind that the Vongola do not govern the country. Issues like these, which include the economy, require a little more than simple management demands." - Tsuna said in his 'boss mode'; his firm voice not opening up space for further discussion - "Now, if there's nothing left to be addressed, I will end this meeting. Good day, gentlemen and lady. Gokudera." - he called, standing up and walking toward the door.

"Hai, Jyuudaime." - Gokudera answered, he went forward and opened the door to make way for the stately figure of his precious boss.

Both walked into the hallway, where Chrome, who threw away a cup of espresso coffee upon their arrival, waited for them.

"Oi, where is Hibari?" - Gokudera asked, not finding the presence of the other Guardian.

"Hibari-san said he would get the car." - she informed, the illusionist was wearing a black suit that had a skirt instead of trousers and an indigo shirt under the blazer - "Boss, you're okay?" - Chrome asked, to the see the serious expression and, especially, feel the much denser than normal aura around her boss, told her all was not well.

"I would say yes, but my intuition is saying the exact opposite. So, the sooner we return to the Mansion, the better." - Tsuna responded in a relatively low tone, feeling the other bosses approaching.

Gokudera immediately raised his attention level to the maximum, while Chrome increased the grip on the trident that materialized in her hands. The two silently follow Tsuna without question as he chose to go down the seven flights of stairs instead of using the elevator. They were already familiar with the apparently-without-reason actions of their boss, who always proved to have truly effective security measures. Within minutes, the three reach their designated floor. Once Tsuna's figure comes in range of everyone's attentions in the glamorous lobby of the hotel, sighs, cries, greedy looks, luxuriant smiles and some cheeky people taking pictures with cell phones or cameras, exploded around the small group. Ignoring all the commotion that his presence was causing - something that he simply gave up trying to avoid, and, especially, understand - the Tenth led the way forward.

The long black mantle that was stately resting on the black suit that Tsuna was wearing, was made in the same style that belonged to the Vongola Primo, with details in red cloth and gold. Reborn had personally sent for this mantle to be prepared for the brunet to use in the party that made him officially the Tenth Vongola - that and for when the Arcobaleno forces him to use it on occasions like this. As they reached the street, the black cloth began to flutter when a sudden gust hit them, another sign that a storm was coming. They could tell because the sky, which before was blue, now was darker, and thick clouds threatened to break into a heavy rain. The trio could easily spot the BMW stopped next to the sidewalk with Hibari along the driver's door, clearly saying that he was the one who was going to drive. This sometimes meant going two times faster than even Ryohei dares to accelerate, and he was usually the more _extreme_ one at the wheel of a car in the Tenth's family. It was obvious that it was _here,_ the retaliation of the Cloud would take place because he could not bite anyone to death after being trapped in a room full of 'herbivores'. With that vision in mind, Gokudera assumed an expression very similar to that acquired when he heard about his half-sister's food, Chrome trembled a little, she had heard from Yamamoto and Kusakabe, and even from Mukuro-sama, about the direction skills of the Cloud Guardian, while a sigh escaped from Tsuna's lips. He was already anticipating the stack of traffic tickets that were going to pile on his desk the next day - as if he didn't have four piles of damn paperwork waiting for him at the Mansion already.

Once inside the comfortable car, with the Guardian of the Mist timidly sitting on his left side while the other two occupied the front of the vehicle, Tsuna finally allowed himself to massage his temples. A movement that did not escape the sharp eyes of Hibari, who quickly observed from the rear-view mirror. As soon as the car started moving at an abnormally fast speed, heavy raindrops began to fall from the sky over the city. Tsuna, with his eyes closed, rested his head on the leather seat, determined to ignore Kyoya's high speed driving. Silence instantly installed itself inside the vehicle, broken only by the sound of rain hitting the car and the windshield wipers draining the water for easier visibility that was seriously needed. In a few minutes they had already moved away from the main road and had taken the path that led through the forest to the mansion. It was around three kilometers away, so there were no other movements on the road, which belonged to the private property of the Vongola headquarters. It was here the car made a sudden stop, shaking everyone - who made the wise decision to use seat belts.

"Oi, What do you think is-" Gokudera's phrase was lost in the air when he saw the big truck skidding down the wet highway towards them.

"Hold." - Hibari growled, moving into reverse gear and making a sharp turn while sinking his foot on the accelerator, just to stop again by Tsuna's scream, moments later, a large crater formed in the asphalt in the exact spot where they would have been if the car had not stopped.

"Ambush!" - Gokudera screamed and immediately the four jump out of the car, falling on the wet pavement.

A shot fired again, but the noise covered by the sound of heavy rain as the BMW exploded in flames. Instinctively Tsuna used his mantle to protect Chrome by pulling her to his chest, having grabbed her when they jumped from the car. However, it was unnecessary as Gokudera had activated his system C.A.I. and spread it around the three, while Hibari used Roll, his box animal's sphere-shape full of thorns, like a shield. If one were looking at him closely, they would see the kanjis for Floating, Cloud, Biting/Crash and Killing, fluttering along the left side of his modified chouran¹, which was part of the Vongola Gear of the Cloud.

"Is everyone okay?" - Tsuna asked, moving his eyes from Chrome and Gokudera to beyond the pile of twisted steaming metal, which moments before was one of his cars, to see his Cloud standing with tonfas in his hands.

"Hai, Boss." - Chrome said, feeling her cheeks blush a bright red due to the closeness between her and the brunet.

"Yes, Jyuudaime."

A small beckon with the right tonfa was the only answer that the Tenth received from the Cloud. The group had no time for distractions as they found themselves surrounded by armed men with guns wrapped in flames of different attributes or common firearms. Some of the men were mounted on motorcycles, others standing on the floor, however, everyone was coming out of the forest and from two vans parked a few meters away. Hibari was the first to jump into battle, delivering blows with his tonfas that resulted in piles of men stretched on the floor, all who would be going on a free ride to the hospital with multiple fractures throughout the body.

Receiving a nod from Tsuna, Gokudera also began attacking with dynamites from his Storm Gear, while countless of fire pillars arose, unchained by the strong illusions from Chrome, who joined the fight the same time as the bomber. Tsuna pulled out his gloves from inside his jacket pocket and immediately slipped them onto his hands. A flame comes to life on his forehead, while his fists, now covered by a pair of red gloves, become surrounded by the purest Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sky. Melting the gun barrel of one of his attackers, while avoiding a hail of bullets, Tsuna accompanied his Guardians in the fight.

With the four fighting, in just over five minutes piles of unconscious bodies was all what was left of the brief battle.

"Tch! This was a tremendous waste of time!" - Gokudera snarled with an angry look while the seemingly endless rain fell and drenched their bodies - "These idiots haven't learned that ambushing us is useless?!" - He completed, taking out his communicator to call someone in the mansion to come fetch them since his soaking phone was useless.

Tsuna was standing beside Chrome when she started to shake. The young boss removed his mantle, which, due to the impermeable material was still dry, and deposited it onto the shoulders of the Mist Guardian's small figure .

"Boss?" - She asked as she felt the mantle swallow her body in a comforting warmth.

"You're shivering, and I'm not wet. Also, I'm more resistant to the cold than everyone else." - He said with a smile, realizing the unspoken question of the young woman.

"Thank you, Boss."

While Chrome huddled, enjoying the heat from the mantle, Tsuna focused his attention back on his Hyper Intuition, which even after the end of attack, continued to disturb him. Moving his eyes around, he sees Gokudera yelling at the little communicator in his right ear. The silver haired man was screaming things like 'yes, Shibafu, we were ambushed and the car was blown up' and 'no, I wasn't the one who blew up the car,' ending with 'shut up and send Yamamoto to get us soon before we all catch a damn cold' followed by a series of curses in Italian. Slightly farther away, Hibari was busy handcuffing the several unconscious attackers -who he will surely interrogate later with methods that were nothing gentle. Suddenly, his intuition tells him of a new hostile presence coming toward them. Tsuna's sudden movement immediately attracts the attention of Hibari, who, averting his eyes to his boss has a glimpse of the tip of a silencer emerging from under a pile of three bodies that the Cloud had not yet checked.

"Sawada!"

Even before Hibari's voice reached Tsuna's ears, the young Don had already pulled Chrome backward to his body. Immediately a sharp pain hit the left side of his abdomen.

Darkness. Absolute darkness drowned his senses in a terrifying way. Stuck in the black abyss, the Vongola leader felt something starting to spread inside his body, as if yearning to corrode him from the inside out.

"-udaime! Jyuudaime!"

Gokudera's voice was the first thing that entered his dazed senses, but it seemed to come from far away. Resisting the wave of dizziness engulfing his body that wanted to play with him again in complete darkness, Tsuna slowly opened his eyes. Hovering above his head - which was currently resting on Chrome's legs - were the timid illusionist and Gokudera. Both had an expression that even his clouded eyes were able to discern as pure concern and a hint of fear. Moving his eyes slightly to the side, Tsuna could see Hibari with a bloody tonfa in hand. The black haired man, as if feeling gaze of the Tenth, turned to his direction. The predatory look still shining on the face of his Cloud Guardian, was the last thing he saw before the dizziness was finally able to drag him back into the darkness.

A pair of black orbs and curly sideburns under a fedora hat, where a chameleon was resting quietly, was the first thing that pierced his eyes while a small smile stretched across his lips.

"Don't you know the term, 'personal bubble', Reborn?"

"If you can talk nonsense, then that means you are well." - the Arcobaleno said, calmly leaning back in the chair he was sitting on beside Tsuna's bed, returning to drink his espresso, he continued - "Being hit by such a clumsily a shot after all the hellish training you had in the last ten years is a shame, dame-Tsuna."

"I'm fine, Reborn." - the brunet replied, sitting up, he received a look that many would consider reproachful or even dangerous, but truthfully, it told him that the Hitman was happy to see him well and awake - "How long was I out?" - Tsuna asked, recognizing the white walls as the infirmary.

"A little over three hours. Before you ask, Gokudera and others are now watching the interrogation of the man who shot you. I think I need not say that he was the most severely beaten by Hibari. He even allowed Ryohei to heal the man enough so that he could maintain consciousness during the interrogation. Of course, now the unfortunate has been beaten to a pulp again." - Reborn commented without hiding the satisfaction he was feeling, the sadistic side of his tutor draws out a sigh from Tsuna.

"Reborn about the bullet used..." - the young Boss closed his eyes, upon opening them, he assumed a more serious expression while fixing his gaze on the Arcobaleno.

"Ah. Shamal could not find any signs of it in your body. Chrome and Gokudera said they saw something like smoke rise from inside your wound." - he responded, pulling a little at the fedora - "I also could not find anything in the other weapons like that, and all of the other bullets were common. Also, the gun used to shoot you was empty. All we can do now is wait for the results of the interrogations."

Slightly raising the clean and dry white shirt that he was wearing, the brunet rested his eyes on the place where hours before was shot. Even after years of being treated with Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sun, he still found the healing ability of the flames incredible. The wound had completely disappeared and there was not even scar in place. Resting the fingers lightly on his abdomen, the young Don felt his Hyper Intuition kick his head - _something __was __wrong_.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Hibari sighed. Yes, _the_ Hibari Kyoya sighed. It had not even been 24 hours since he had returned to the Vongola mansion and it was the second time that his private area - one of his requirements to living at the headquarters in Italy - was invaded. This time by the other silver-haired herbivore. His usually expressionless face, since his looking sharp and murderous aura speak for him, now clearly reflected his thought: 'irritant'. The noisy herbivore boxer would not stop gushing nonsense and comments about the last few days, which mostly boiled down to the training that he forced the 'little extreme 'recruits of the Varia to do.

Not that Hibari was paying attention. It was just that the other spoke so loudly that was impossible not to hear him. To think that until moments before, Kyoya was quietly enjoying a cup of green tea when the door leading to his personal quarters in mansion slammed open and the noisy herbivore boxer unceremoniously made his way into the room, followed closely by the Cloud's right arm, who was visibly panicking. Now the former prefect was in movement to bite both to death, the boxer for being noisy and Kusakabe Tetsuya for not doing his job properly. With the idea becoming more and more tempting, a 'bright' predatory smile spread across his handsome face - because _yes_, Hibari Kyoya is a handsome man, and if not for the murderous aura that circled him, he too would live surrounded by women. Of course, not as much as the boss since nobody could compete with Tsuna, although, the Tenth seemed to ignore this fact.

"Hibari, in getting to know you, I know you noticed something off about Sawada." - As fast as the prospect of death came to the skylark's face, it disappeared.

"Hn." - the antisocial man mumbled in vague agreement.

"You might not know this, but... Sawada was very sick a week after you left for your last mission." - the Sun said with undisguised bitterness.

"Kusakabe Tetsuya has informed me of the details." - Hibari declared bluntly.

Yes, hours before, the right arm of the former prefect had told him what he discovered with Yamamoto and Gokudera. He had reported his findings just before the man was going to the meeting Tsuna was having in his office. Hibari had asked him after receiving an unwelcome visit from an angry and overprotective Gokudera Hayato - another who had not changed that much after all - just before lunchtime.

"So all this talk about what happened in the past few days was an excuse to talk about Sawada Tsunayoshi and his health." - Hibari said, raising an eyebrow in annoyance; though, if one were intently watching his face, the anger level of the Cloud Guardian had retreated a bit and currently hovered in safer orbits, a fact which pulled out a sigh of relief from Kusakabe.

"Hibari, don't talk as if it doesn't affect you! Sawada is extremely your boss too!"

"Boss? I do not have such a thing as a boss." – Hibari said in a mocking tone.

"Even though you don't admit that he _is our boss_, Sawada is still our friend and his health affects everyone!" - the boxer replied, his eyes burning while he clenched his bandaged fists.

"Hn. So what do you want from me? I do not remember when I became a doctor."

At the answer from his boss, Kusakabe blinked once, twice, three times in disbelief. After all, Hibari Kyoya, who did not connect to anyone, the alone Cloud, had not refuted the comment that he and the Tenth Vongola _are friends_. Kusakabe resisted the urge to pinch himself to make sure he was not dreaming - certainly if he made any movement that catches the attention of the Cloud, he will be bitten to death by his own boss.

"It's just that Sawada does not seem to be in good condition, and with everything that is happening, we need to make sure something like _that_ does not happen again." - Talking about his precious friend and boss, the extreme Guardian of Sun finally seemed to calm down a little, after all, only the Sky can control the Sun.

The strongest Vongola Guardian expressionlessly faced the man sitting in Oriental fashion - on the legs - at his front. This was his second time hearing something along the same lines from the two noisy herbivores - of course, the other was clearly threatening him, while this sounded like a request. In both cases, they fall into his ears the same way, _'protect Sawada Tsunayoshi'_, something that was really starting to affect his patience.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

In the silence of his office, which was now empty, Tsuna mentally reviewed all the information they acquired and the recent events in an attempt to organize his crowded mind. The informational report from Hibari had not even been fully assimilated and Ryohei came bringing even more problems. Still lost in thought, the brunet did not realize the new call message flashing on the screen of his computer. Only after a few seconds, and three messages later, did Tsuna's mind drag him out of his thoughts and back to reality.

"Hello Shoichi! Sorry on lingering to answer you." - Tsuna said, opening a warm smile for the image of one of his most precious friends, and also the head of the Vongola strategy unit.

_"No problem Tsunayoshi, and it is good to see you again._" - the redhead greeted, a smile spreading across his face as he sees Tsuna - _"I have analyzed the data you sent me before and I honestly had no idea that the situation__was so complicated."_

"It seems that it went from bad to worse." – Tsuna said, uttering a weary sigh - "Seven of Xanxus's subordinates were ambushed like Hibari, and four did not survive. Onii-san said he had a hard time healing them."

_"So the black flames appeared again."_ - Shoichi sighed too, feeling the stomach pains approaching - _"What you will do now? You know, the next step of the plan is not yet complete."_

"Ah. Mukuro still has not returned from his mission. We must wait and be alert."

_"Speaking of him, Mukuro-kun has contacted me, he wanted get the design plans of a building in Milan. He said the site looked suspicious and did not want to be caught by surprise in an unknown place."_ – Shoichi reported, cleaning his glasses with a serious look.

_So he decided to listen to my warning_ - Tsuna thought while a small smile appeared on his lips.

_"I must admit that a place with so much security really does look suspicious. Giannini and I took some time to pass through security and download a copy of the design plans of the building. Furthermore, the outer part of the building is clearly not all there is to see. And after I carefully analyzed the entire project, in a way, it reminded me of the memories I received about the time I was in command of the Merone base, but in a scale and complexity significantly smaller. Still, it is something to consider."_

"I just hope Mukuro does not do anything rash and foremost, does not underestimate our enemy." - the brunet commented with the same worried look that Reborn dubbed "Hyper Protective Version Tenth Vongola."

_Mukuro, it is better to continue taking my advice seriously, otherwise, the consequences__maybe__be quite disastrous._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

At first glance, the long two-story building in a little busy area to the east of the center of Milan seemed quiet. Just another clinic that provided services to a small handful of Famiglias, their number of patrons did not even complete all the fingers of one hand. Yes, it was a private clinic for members of the Mafia. Considering the absurd quantity of Famiglias who lived scattered throughout Italy, finding a clinic such as this was no surprise. In fact, even some hospitals are controlled by the larger Famiglias. Vongola's own, at the behest of the Tenth, had a fully equipped medical center, serving not only members of the Alliance, but mostly ordinary citizens as well.

However, while it should be just one more of the clinical places found in the underworld, it had aroused the curiosity of a certain illusionist's bi-colored eyes. At the request of Sawada Tsunayoshi, he was keeping an eye on a Famiglia whose recent movement crashed on the Vongola's radar. After observing a meeting between the representatives of such Famiglia, he had taken note of this place, becoming his newest target.

The reception was empty, just a woman wearing a turquoise blouse with a big neckline, hanging onto the phone while sanding her long red nails, indicated that the place was still in operation.

"Then I said to him 'darling, if you cannot afford to keep me, I have no reason to continue living with you." - the receptionist loudly drawled on the phone, when the automatic door opened - "Wait Mirella, someone came." - She informed, turning to the entry she encountered a void - "Tch! I told that pig I want to change my shift for the day! No, I'm not talking to you. It's just that the door opened and I thought someone was..." - the woman returned to talking on the phone casually.

"Kufufufu. If all this security was for nothing, I'll make sure to hold the _redhead rabbit_ and the _ball_ in some really bloody illusions for the same fifty minutes they made me wait for the design of the building." - Mukuro murmured, his signature laugh sinisterly leaking while the kanji in his eye changed again.

He took out a small device from his pocket - the latest generation of laptops developed by the experts in the Vongola, which the Tenth had given to all the Guardians - and with a few taps on the screen, a complete design of the building appeared. With his illusions interfering with the surveillance cameras, Mukuro walked down the hallway while keeping a watchful eye on the design. Suddenly, he was met with a smooth wall.

"Oya?! It seems I found the first surprise." - the blue haired man mumbled, a smile of satisfaction starting to make its way to his lips.

The image on the little screen indicated that in his exact location there should have been a door leading to the basement, but instead there was only one wall. Which meant that he was not the only illusionist in the building. Materializing his trident, he struck the ground and immediately a mist began to retreat from the wall, revealing a metal door. Using one of his Hell Rings to extend his illusions, he opened the door, exposing a staircase. Mukuro was faced with a dimly lit corridor in the end of the descent when a strong odor that, although seemed familiar, his sense of smell couldn't identify what it was, appeared. Ignoring the smell that was burning his nostrils, he silently followed the halls. His nerves spike when the sound of voices abruptly turns his attention. Calmly, using an illusion to conceal his presence, the illusionist followed the voices to find their origin. After taking some steps forward, the Mist was faced with a glass wall revealing a large lab one floor below with scientists wearing white coats working on some strange kind of research. Looking around, he spots a door that would lead him inside. Opening it, he receives a welcome of the same odor that he smelled before, but now in a higher concentration.

Shrieks. Shrieks pierced his eardrums. Shrieks of pain and agony resounded throughout the room, while his eyes widened considerably at the scene that was unfolded in front of his bi-colored orbs. He realized the strong odor that he had been feeling since he came down to the basement had an explanation - it was the smell of human flesh being burned. With the howls of agony echoing in his mind, his blood began to boil, while unpleasant memories - that the years of living with Sawada Tsunayoshi and the covey of misfits who the Tenth called of family, had almost completely erased - rushed up. Memories of when the damn Estraneo Famiglia used him along with Ken, Chikusa, and the many other children, as guinea pigs for their experiments. Mukuro clenched his fist tighter around the trident. The desire to repeat the massacre he caused when he was still a boy trying to escape the clutches of the dam scientist in a white lab coat and flee to freedom, began to corrode him from within. It was because of things like this that he ardently hated the mafia for. It was because of actions like this that he wanted to destroy the Mafia. It was for things like...

_"Be careful and under any circumstances, do not lower your guard." -_Tsuna's warning echoed in his mind, dragging him back to reality. Another voice pierced his ears right after the thought.

"Another weak guinea pig that can be discarded." - a figure, dressed completely in white with the hair style 'Black Power,' smiled while watching some men withdraw a body from one of the tables being used in the tests; no more than ten feet away from where Mukuro was.

A sinister smile made its way to Mukuro's lips.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Chrome was in the kitchen together with Pizio helping him prepare a cake for breakfast. She had woken up early and after the little chat with Kyoko and Haru yesterday, the young woman felt the sudden urge to recall the time when the three were still in school and gathered together to eat some cakes. Though it was a somewhat rare occurrence, taking into account that she lived in Kokuyo together with Mukuro-sama and the others and not close to her true friends, since MM hated her with very fiber of her being. So she asked if she could help the head chef the mansion make a cake for everyone, especially the Boss.

Truth be told, it was a surprise for everybody to find that the Tenth had a great weakness for sweet things. Gokudera was the one who discovered this peculiarity of the young boss about two months after they moved to the Vongola headquarters in Italy, when three times in a row Hayato found Tsuna eating cake instead of doing the damn paperwork. Needless to say that a certain Arcobaleno was not happy with that, and the Hitman forced Tsuna to do extra training for two whole weeks. For some reason, this discovery left the loyal right-hand man of the Tenth somewhat inconvenienced and very preoccupied since the Boss seemed to surrender to the sweet with greater frequency when he was very stressed or when his intuition began to disturb him. Reborn was the one who came up with a possible explanation. It seems that the passion for sweet things was some kind of hereditary trait in those with the Vongola blood, and that it was probably linked to the Hyper Intuition the Bosses of the Famiglia had. So, since Tsuna had a more accurate intuition among all the previous heads, and because he was a direct descendant of the Primo, he seemed to have developed a greater love for sweet things. Needless to say, after countless of hours doing extra Spartan training, the young Don was finally able to overcome his weakness for sweets. Although, it was not rare for Tsuna and Lambo to be still seen together eating cakes and other desserts.

While Chrome and Pizio were distracted in the kitchen, a strong tremor shook the mansion, knocking down some pots. On the third floor, Gokudera, who was relaxing by reading the latest magazine that he bought about unexplained phenomena, almost fell off the chair when Uri jumped out of bed and into his lap while the mansion rattled. Immediately leaving aside his reading, Hayato winded up in the aisle and came across a sleepy Lambo, still wearing pajamas with cow prints on them, and Yamamoto, who had a toothbrush in his hand and a serious look on his face.

"Neh, what is all this noise? Are we being attacked or what?" - Lambo grumbled, rubbing his eyes and letting out a yawn.

"Gokudera."

"No question, its coming from the training room." - answered the Storm, replying to the unspoken question by the swordsman as the trio reached the stairs.

Entering the hallway leading to the training room, they soon spot Hibari and Ryohei, who were stopped before the double reinforced steel door - a precaution that Tsuna took to maintain the level of damage to the outside of the room as low as possible. Despite this, during the only time the Guardians witnessed their boss really angry, he overthrew these doors with just one kick without even being in Hyper Mode.

"So is Sawada even the one who is doing a workout extreme as this?" – Ryohei questioned when the three joined the duo.

"Tch! As if anyone, besides Jyuudaime, could make the whole mansion shake without overthrowing it." - the silver haired man retorted, glancing at the corner towards the Cloud Guardian, who clearly ignored.

"Neh, is it okay to leave the Vongola to train that way alone?"

"Of course, Jyuudaime prefers to train alone when Reborn-san is not in the mansion. He does not want anyone to end up getting hurt."

"Well, it's not this that I'm talking about, it's just that this is the first time he has been training alone since that day."- everyone immediately turned their attention to the young Guardian.

"Lambo is right. Maybe we should see how Tsuna is doing."

"If you interfere carelessly you will only get an injury, and then that will leave him with a herbivorous aura for the rest of the day." - Hibari grunted, propped up on the wall with his eyes fixed on the door.

"Tch! You say that, but you also came to check what is happening." - Gokudera replied.

"I just came to see who interrupted my sleep and bite him to death for waking me up." - the Cloud answered with a blank expression, which seemed to betray his words about a bloody fight.

"Maa, maa, discussing this now will not help resolve-" Yamamoto paused, narrowing his eyes - "It's been a while since the noise and tremors stopped." - he observed with a serious expression.

Everybody shot a glance at the door while Gokudera rushed to open it. But before the Storm could touch the door, it opened up, revealing a mess of brown hair framing a face with a few drops of sweat and a pair of hazel-brown orbs, that, once sees them, light up with a smile appearing on his lips.

"Good morning, minna! Sorry to wake you up."

"Jyuudaime!"

"Sawada, that was an extreme workout!"

"Tsuna, are you okay?"

"Ah. I'm a little sweaty, and certainly in need of a bath, but I'm fine." - said the brunet, increasing his smile - "Minna, I know you are worried, but I'm feeling fine, moreover, Reborn is coming back soon and if he finds out I did not exercise even little in the days he was absent, he certainly will further intensify my training." - With that comment, a small frown formed on his handsome face while at the same time he received some godly looks from Lambo, Yamamoto and Gokudera, plus a fist into the air from Ryohei followed by a cry of 'extreme'; Hibari just narrowed his blue-gray eyes in the brunet's direction.

"If Vongola is fine, I'll go back to sleep." - Lambo muttered with another yawn, when suddenly a hand grabbed the back of his shirt collar.

"Oi, Ahoushi, where are you going? You and I have training today. "

"Geh?! Goku-Gokudera-shi! "

"No more, go change for breakfast!" - Growled the Vongola Storm.

"Lambo, I'll go up with you, I need a shower and clean clothes." - Tsuna informed, joining the youngest of the group who seemed to animate a little with the company of his 'nii-chan'.

"And he calls this exercise." - Hibari muttered, returning to his quarters.

When they hear the commentary from the Cloud, the three advance to the still opened room. Of the five Strauss-Moska that Spanner had built to assist in Tsuna's training, only one was still recognizable. The others were turned heaps of metal and scraps with pieces scattered throughout the room, which also won many craters on the walls and burn marks.

"Tch! Normally Jyuudaime would not go as far as destroying the Moska when he is training."

"Ah, but this time Sawada extremely annihilated them."

"Tsuna must be more uncomfortable with the situation than we imagined."

"That's why when I grab the bastards responsible for this, I'll make sure to wipe them out completely." - Gokudera growled, clenching his fists.

"Ah! You are extremely right, Takohead!" - Ryohei yelled, throwing a bandaged fist into the air.

"I also agree. Nobody disturbs our _Boss_, and gets away with it."

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

In most recent days, Tsuna felt his Hyper Intuition punching his head, it was like having a tiny Reborn constantly slam his Leon hammer within his skull, which was not far from what he did in the past. Eventually it got to the point where the brunet resorted to entering the training room to distract his mind and, as a bonus, relieve some of the stress formed inside his body. Since he collapsed the first time about three weeks before, Reborn had relieved some of his training using Shinu Ki no Honoo and focused more with working on his physique, which earned him a bit more muscle mass, plus some distensions and concussions - once the training methods of the sadistic Arcobaleno were not the same as those a physical trainer would use at a gym. Training that included batting cannonballs - fired by one cannon - with a steel rod weighing over fifty pounds. Needless to say that such training yielded a whole stack of paperwork with expenditure on repairs to the garden full of craters, some bumpy walls of the mansion, the replacement of the fountain and the statue that sits on it - which were completely destroyed when Tsuna accidentally countered one of the cannonballs in the direction of both, not to mention the ridiculous amount of trees that the Tenth ended up toppling and had to replant. But today, after days without using his gloves and flames, Tsuna decided to train using them, and as a result, ended up completely destroying the Strauss-Moskas that Spanner had built specifically to help him workout when there was not a companion available or when Tsuna just did not want company.

_ It seems that my flames got a little out of control after so long without using them. That, or..._ - Tsuna thought with a sigh, as he walked into the dining room for breakfast where everyone - except the lone Cloud - were the waiting.

The morning began like any other day, laughs, nonsense talks, Lambo almost asleep while sitting, 'discussions' between Gokudera and Ryohei, who was in the Mansion at Tsuna's request, leading to Yamamoto trying to stop them until Tsuna's expression darkened, instantly making the room temperature tumble down a few degrees. However, before any questions were made, Lorenzi appeared in the room followed by two men who Gokudera and Yamamoto immediately identified as Uffo Andreani and Vonny Carli, respectively the leader of one of the Rain squads and leader of a Storm squad. Andreani, the shortest with a long green hair stuck in a braid, was wearing the traditional uniform of the Rain, black pants and a blue jacket. Carli had lead-colored hair cut in military style, with the uniform of the Storm, black pants and a red coat. Both seemed uncomfortable and pale, the powerful aura that surrounded the room only worsening the situation.

"Sorry to interrupt you, masters, Decimo-sama." - introduced Lorenzi.

"Tch! What are you doing here?" - Gokudera snarled, not in the best of moods, a sense of anticipation was also part of it as he felt that something was wrong based on the attitude of Jyuudaime.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. They must have something important to say to have come here at this hour." - Yamamoto said, though his expression was not as calm as it usually was.

A sigh coming from the edge of the table made everyone turn their attention to the young Tenth. The two newcomers were not able to prevent a shudder when a pair of orbs shining a soft orange tone on a hazel-brown, fell on them. Although there was no one in the underworld who had never heard about the power of that look, being in the presence of the legendary Vongola Tenth was something truly creepy. Even though the two men were, five centimeters in Andreani's case and nine in Carli's, higher than the boss, the enormously powerful aura emanating from his imposing figure demanded respect above all else.

Although he realized that his aura was causing the discomfort in both unfortunate men - who were certainly the bearers of bad news since the only exception to interrupt the _sacred_ mealtimes of the Tenth's family was when something truly urgent was happening - Tsuna could not help feel irritated. After all, once more his Hyper Intuition was warning him of more problems.

"Minna, sorry about this, but I'm afraid we'll have to pass on breakfast. Gokudera and Yamamoto, bring the leaders of your squads, we will go to my office. Ryohei, warn Hibari that I want to see him later. Chrome, please contact Mukuro and check in on his situation, then come to my office. Fuuta, contact Basil, leave him on notice for a meeting this afternoon, and Lambo, I'm making an exception today, you will also be part of this meeting, the same goes for you, Fuuta."

A chorus of comprehension echoed through the room and soon everyone dissipated for their respective functions. Following the Guardians, the two squad leaders cast curious glances, feeling apprehensive for the young Don leading the small group through the long hallways of the mansion. They stop in a large, well lit room with a big glass window, next to it was a table where a few stacks of paperwork rested mercilessly. The Tenth took his place behind the desk in a comfortable leather chair and crossing his fingers on the table, turned his attention to the two newcomers, who, once again tremble.

"So?"

A heavy and somewhat embarrassing silence formed in the room. While the two leaders feel their throats go dry.

"Oi, Jyuudaime asked you guys a question! If you only came here to stand still and say nothing..." - The unspoken threat made both of them shudder, after all, everyone knew that the strange moods the frightening Vongola Guardians possessed, even the youngest among them, who was sitting quietly beside Yamamoto, could be very dangerous.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. Intimidation is not the best way to persuade them." - Even saying something like that, the aura emanating from the swordsman did not seem as friendly as his words. "Neh?" - He completed, slightly narrowing his caramel orbs, while Gokudera rolled his eyes.

"Well..." - Carli was the first to take courage; after four years as leader of a Storm squad, he was more _adapted_ to the tempestuous temperament of the Guardian, also, the _Boss_ was getting impatient, as indicated by the temperature falling in the room every minute - "Last night we received a call for help from two Famiglias of the Alliance, the Famiglias Cavasin and Fregnani. Both are relatively small, and, as stated in our orders we always have to provide help when a call for assistance is received through the secret code given for each individual Famiglia."

"We warned our respective squads and with some squad members of the Sun, we went to help. Squadron of the Rain was in charge of the Fregnani Famiglia, while Storm assumed the Cavasin." - Continued Andreani, still hesitant - "When we arrived at the headquarters of Fregnani, the enemies had mostly already fled, which facilitated the need of removal and treatment of the many wounded."

"But for the Cavasin their situation was different, when we arrived they were in full attack. Hooded men carrying blades covered in strange black flames were advancing without hesitation. There were several casualties on our side, but the Cavasin Famiglia was almost completely decimated." - Carli finished, clenching his fists; anger was boiling inside him as he avoided facing the figures inside the room.

There was silence. A heavy and thick silence. Even the sounds of breathing seemed to have stopped. A deafening hush that clung to all, while the words spoken were being digested and assimilated.

"Gokudera." - Breaking the self-imposed silence was the velvety voice in a serious tone overflowing with a feeling, there was so much that the Guardians could sense the _anger_ - "Tell everyone that the Tenth is convening an emergency meeting with the summit of the Vongola Alliance today at the first hour of the afternoon. Just leave out Enma and Shoichi, I'll personally warn them." - Moving his eyes to the back of the room, Tsuna focused his attention on the three other Guardians and Fuuta, who had arrived as soon as the situation began to be explained and remained silently listening - "Ryohei inform Xanxus of the meeting, ask him to come or send a representative for him, but I want someone from the Varia here, then assemble squads of the Sun and leave them on standby. The same goes for all the other squad leaders, after today's meeting they will receive further orders that must be followed rigidly. And for everyone, the advice I gave on the day that Hibari returned will be in full force until this situation is resolved."

Again a chorus of understanding echoed through the room while one by one, they were all retreated. The last to leave was Yamamoto who led the two squad leaders - still stunned by the whole situation. Soon all that Tsuna was left with was silence. Rising from his chair, the Tenth launched his gaze out the window at the other _sky_. Clear and a vibrant blue, it did not seem to share any of his afflictions.

"Sawada. You know you cannot keep this up for much longer."

Hearing him, a small smile appeared on the lips of Tsuna. His Cloud only called him that way during two rare moments, when he was angry and the two were alone, or very worried and the two were alone. It seemed that today applied both moments. Of course Hibari would never admit his concern, but such actions betrayed him.

"Ah. I know."

"I will stay at the mansion. And you better to try harder to disguise it, the noisy herbivores are starting to annoy me about your health." - Kyoya said, moving toward the door.

"I'm dying."

Hibari froze. _The_ Hibari Kyoya was frozen with his hand holding the handle of the door, his eyes were magnified in a way that would have been comical if the expression on his face was not absolute shock. The color drained from his face to a white that almost competed with the complexion of the man standing at the window with his hands in the pants pockets and his face concealed by brown hair. Hibari was not sure when he dropped what he was doing, all he knew was that he was facing his _boss_ as if he had said the most absurd thing he ever heard. Until that sentence really sinks into his mind.

_I may have been__too direct. _- Tsuna thought turning to find the blank look of his Guardian.

"I'm sorry. But I thought you would have soon discovered anyway."

"How long?" - Hibari's voice sounded lower than it usually was and there was a requirement for an answer as his face assumed the usual expression, though his eyes betrayed his apparent indifference.

A small sigh escaped from Tsuna's lips.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi." - The softness of his voice was gone, and in its place irritation began to bubble.

_It seems that he__has already recovered. As expected of Hibari Kyoya._

"Shamal does not know. The diagnosis is still not definitive, but if we do not find out what is affecting me and a cure, then it shall happen."

"So?"

"I followed the advice of Enma and sent a sample of my blood to Verde. I requested Mammon to hand it to him in secret one day before you returned."

"The Shimon also knows."

"Ah. I told Enma so Shamal gave me the diagnosis." - Tsuna agreed.

With Hibari dipping into his own thoughts, a brief silence formed in the office. Then, as if something linked in the Cloud's mind, Hibari fixed his blue gray eyes on his _boss_, a dangerous aura beginning to emanate from his body.

"If _they_'re behind this, then _that_ was not an ambush."

"I figured that you would come to that conclusion too." - Tsuna said, his hazel-brown orbs being swallowed by an orange cast.

"Hn. I'll use the training room for a while, be sure to keep the other noisy herbivores away. "

"Ah." - Tsuna sighed again, watching his Cloud leave the office with a predatory look on his face.

_It seems that__soon__I'll have to do extra paperwork._ - Tsuna thought, returning his gaze to the blue sky.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ж~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

¹Type of uniform. For those who are curious about how it looks go to the last page of chapter 320+ or google Hibari's vongola gear.

* * *

Minna-san, I'll hope to your comments! Tell me what you thought of this chapter! Tell me your theories on the plot of the story!

And I'm still doing the soundtrack Cielo, then send me the songs that you think is the 'face' of this story!  
Ciao, ciao ^^


	9. Chapter 9 - Note of the author

Minna-san, I'm here to apologize for the long time without updating my fanfictions. Because of my last semester in college my free time became very scarce. I'm really sorry for letting my stories without update. I hope you'll forgive me.

In any case, I will come back soon with the updates and also am working on a new story to Code Geass, my super beta, tora-chan83 agreed to beta-ing it. So, see you soon!


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